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More population decline for the state in general from this year's county census info. Here are some of the bigger points:
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With 2,804 people leaving Kanawha in 2017, the county holds the 10th-highest population decrease by individuals of all counties in the nation. In 2016, it ranked 19th.
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Farther south, McDowell County held the highest percentage of population decrease, with 3.5 percent — 683 individuals — leaving the county. This percentage decrease was the fourth-highest in the nation, according to the Census, and leaves the county with a total population of 18,456 people.
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The most eastern counties in the Eastern Panhandle held the top three highest percentages of population growth in the Mountain State. Berkeley saw a 1.5 percent increase, Jefferson, 0.9 percent, and Morgan, 0.6 percent.
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This was the first year in the past six that Monongalia County had less than 500 people move within its limits. In 2012, roughly 1,700 moved to that county. Last year, the population increase dipped below 1,000 for the first time, with 631 people moving in. This year, only 259 individuals moved to Monongalia.
And most significantly:
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West Virginia’s population as a whole is on a steady decline, according to past Census numbers. If the trend continues, the Mountain State could lose one of its three congressional seats by 2022.
Currently, West Virginia ranks 38th with 1,815,857 residents. That is down from 1,853,011 at the 2010 Census, a loss of 37,154 residents in 7 years. Idaho ranks 39th in population with 1,716,943, up from 1,567,652 at the 2010 Census. That is an increase of 149,291 residents.
With the way our population is declining, and with Idaho's growth, I expect West Virginia to drop below Idaho in the next 10 years. It may not happen by the next Census in 2020, but I can see it happening by the 2022 suggestion in the article.
It doesn't matter if we drop below 38th or not by 2022 to lose a district; WV-03 will almost assuredly be eliminated in reapportionment (at this rate).
That's true, but in Mon County's case, the drop off was due to layoffs in the mining industry, and some IT layoffs at Mylan, with that work being shifted to cheap labor countries. That is expected to reverse this year as WVU Medicine is on a major hiring spree. They are hiring hundreds for the new 150 bed Children's Hospital addition at Ruby Hospital.
In addition, there has been an uptick in oil and gas activity, with many workers from Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana staying in the region and spending money but those folks aren't counted in the Census data since they seldom change their permanent residency while they're here.
Time will tell CT. I think the current trends are going to continue through the 2020 Census. We'll see the EP continue to grow, Kanawha lose residents, possibly some loss in Cabell, and probably see Mon stay even.
Even with the EP's growth, it just goes to show how many people are leaving the state with the continued downward population total.
Time will tell CT. I think the current trends are going to continue through the 2020 Census. We'll see the EP continue to grow, Kanawha lose residents, possibly some loss in Cabell, and probably see Mon stay even.
Even with the EP's growth, it just goes to show how many people are leaving the state with the continued downward population total.
The "experts" are saying that Mon will get a bug spike in the coming years due to the rapid expansion of WVU Medicine (they're in the process of hiring thousands) and growing oil and gas activity. You're not going to have mine layoffs every year, and Mylan appears to have a stable employment picture now. Except for NCWV and the EP most other areas are contracting. Shale gas developments with the valuable wet gas could well cause a major recovery for the Northern Panhandle. If that cracker gets built across the bridge from Moundsville, it will bring thousands of jobs with it.
What 'experts' are predicting a big spike in Morgantown? And with the exception of Mon County, NCWV is contracting as well. The latest Census estimates show that Harrison and Marion Counties lost population again last year and both are under their 2010 numbers. Preston also lost population. I think Morgantown will likely continue to grow but I am not so sure about the rest of North Central.
Kanawha's numbers are starting to become alarming. I wonder if these declines are heavily concentrated in certain parts of the county such as Marmet, Belle and Chelyan where more people are employed in mining or if the losses are consistent throughout. In the past it was usually brushed off with the 'everyone is moving over to Putnam County' (which was only part of it- many more were heading out of state) but considering Putnam only added about 100 people last year, it would seem that is definitely not the case.
Last edited by NOVAmtneer82; 04-02-2018 at 02:13 PM..
What 'experts' are predicting a big spike in Morgantown?
I'd imagine he's referring to the WVU reports. The same ones that predicted a gain of 1,000 people this year there instead of the 259 that happened. That's the problem with predictions though, there are too many variables and you are basing those gains on variables that have already occurred and had much of their effect. There continues to be a lot of uncertainty not only with state funding but also in the national retail market. That's one of the other big areas of employment in WV and if that continues to take a big hit like it has, it won't be good for our local economies around the state.
Where are you finding the 2018 tables? The most recent I have found to through July 2017. They show Mon County growing by 400 people during the year. I don't think any area will have constant growth every year. It always goes in cycles. The job losses at Mylan, Swanson, and the coal mine are not repeated very often, and Mylan assures everyone that bargaining unit employees will not be laid off. I have no news about the coal mine situation. WVU Medicine hiring goes in spurts too, and they are getting ready for another round of hiring for the new children's hospital. In spite of a couple setbacks, the employment prospects look solid around here.
This is providing momentum for population growth in Morgantown...
"WVU Medicine’s Human Resources Department received 66,500 applications in 2017 and hired a total of 2,723 employees overall that year. An average of 240 employment interviews are conducted weekly, and there are still 185 physicians’ positions the institute seeks to fill."
That is system wide, but a hefty portion of those hires are in Morgantown. It's considered a very desirable place to work as attested to by the large numbers of people who apply for jobs there.
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