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The following article appeared in The Citizens' Voice on March 22, 2007
Annual population changes
For the first time in decades, Lackawanna County saw its population increase from 2005 to 2006 by about .1 percent, or 106 residents, according to new Census Bureau figures released today. Northeastern Pennsylvania saw an annual population increase from 2005 to 2006 of about .7 percent, or 5,933 residents.
|
Change, 2006 2006 2005 2004 2003 to 2005 |
2002 |
2001 |
Census 2000 |
|
STATE |
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
0.3% : 12,440,621 12,405,348 12,377,381 12,351,381 |
12,321,644 |
12,295,929 |
12,281,054 |
|
NEPA |
0.7% |
867,539 861,606 854,584 849,439 |
842,929 |
838,725 |
835,574 |
|
Lackawanna |
0.1% |
209,728 209,622 209,732 210,104 |
210,954 |
212,183 |
213,295 |
|
Luzerne |
0.1% |
313,020 312,795 312,765 313,621 |
314,489 |
315,899 |
319,250 |
|
Monroe |
2.0% |
165,685 162,415 |
158,474 |
154,217 |
149,072 |
144,000 |
138,687 |
|
Pike |
3.6% |
58,195 |
56,180 |
53,939 |
52,128 |
50,040 |
48,181 |
46,302 |
|
Susquehanna |
-0.1% |
41,889 |
41,943 |
41,943 |
41,887 |
41,945 |
42,256 |
42,238 |
|
Wayne |
0.8% |
50,929 |
50,529 |
49,577 |
49,083 |
48,446 |
48,104 |
47,722 |
|
Wyoming |
-0.1% |
28,093 |
28,122 |
28,154 |
28,099 |
27,983 |
28,102 |
28,080 |
MARIA CONIGLIARO / STAFF ARTIST
Two counties see slight rise in populations
By Elizabeth Piet
Staff Writer
It's only 106 people, but the number represents a tipping point for Lackawanna County.
For the first time in decades, Lackawanna County's 2006 population showed an increase of 0.1 percent over the previous year, according to new U.S. Census population estimates released today. After years of population declines related to more deaths than births and people leaving the region, migration into the county finally overcame the decreases.
Luzerne County saw its second year of slight growth—225 people in 2006, after adding 30 people in 2005. The population estimate for 2006 is 313,020.
The 2006 population estimate for the county was 209,728.
"We kind of figured that was going to happen—at some point it was going increase," said Mary Liz Donato, Lackawanna County senior planner. "The dying coal town image is going away finally."
The last time Lackawanna County saw population growth was between 1920 and 1930 when the population grew from 286,311 to 310,397. Before 1970, census data was only available at the end of each decade.
Experts attribute the two counties' population turnarounds to the migration of low- to moderate-income earners and ethnic minorities into the region.
"The number one driver is cost of living," said Terri Ooms, executive director of the JointUrbanStudiesCenter in Wilkes-Barre. The growth trend in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties is in its "infancy stage," Ooms said, but she expects it to continue and strengthen.
2006 population changes
From the 2000 Census to 2006, Northeastern Pennsylvania has seen an overall increase in its population by about 3.8 percent, or 31,965 residents. The three Pocono counties, Monroe, Pike and Wayne, showed the most growth while Lackawanna and Luzerne, despite an annual increase from 2005 to 2006, showed an overall decline since 2000. The population estimates are from Census Bureau data released today.
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|
2006 |
Change |
|
Pa. |
12,440,621 |
1.3% |
|
NEPA |
867,539 |
3.8% |
|
Lackawanna |
209,728 |
-1.7% |
|
Luzerne |
313,020 |
2.09% |
|
Monroe |
165,685 |
19.5% |
|
Pike |
. 58,195, |
25.7% |
|
Susquehanna 41,889 |
-0.8% |
|
Wayne |
50,929 |
6.7% |
|
Wyoming |
28,093 |
0.0% |
MARIA CONIGLIARO / STAFF ARTIST
"We need to think on a regional level.”
TERRI OOMS
Joint Urban Studies Center
.
After low-and moderate-income people settle in, higher-income people will move away from the cities to smaller towns where their dollars can go further. Eventually, companies will follow the workforce.
As more people moved into Lackawanna County and had children, the new babies chipped away at the historic imbalance between births and deaths. Although between 2000 and 2006,4,038 more people died than were born, there was only an imbalance of 390 people for 2006.
That too will slowly reverse in the coming years, said Gordon DeJong, Ph.D., a demography professor at Penn State University's Population Research Institute.
"There has been an increase in the immigrant population up the valley," he said. "Guess what —Immigrants have kids."
In addition to immigration, the region's slight increase in population could be affected by fewer people leaving, especially younger people, and former res- idents returning. Many senior citizens have left popular retirement spots such as Florida frus-trated by steep housing costs and hurricanes, DeJong said.
Between 2005 and 2006, a net of 129 new residents was attributed to international migration and 337 to internal migration in Lackawanna. Whether international immigration increases depends on politics and the reciprocity of communities, DeJong said.
"Is it going to be Hazleton all over again?" he asked. "It has scared off a number of the immigrants."
If growth continues as expected, it will present challenges the region has not experienced for years.
"Our counties have seen population decline for 50 years," Ooms said. "Growth is a foreign concept."
New residents will demand services of communities already struggling to make ends meet, she said. Down the road, more people could lead to traffic congestion and shortages of social services.
But there are opportunities in growth, Ooms said. More people can lead to more revenue for local governments, more amenities, and more jobs.
"We need to think on a regional level," she said. "Our region is economically interdependent, we need to work together."
epiet@tJmesshaiiiniiik.coni ________________ |
