Steady Staten

[jimrtex]

Iowa acceded to the Union in 1846 as the 29th State. Only 7 of Iowa's 99 counties gained population between 1980 and 1990, which served as severe chokepoint on gainer streaks.

Iowa Gainers

Polk since 1850. Des Moines is the county seat and state capital.

Story since formation in 1860. Story is north of Des Moines (city). Nevada is the county seat, but Ames, the location of Iowa State University is by far the largest city.

Johnson since 1890. Johnson is south of Cedar Rapids in the east central part of the state. Iowa City is the county seat and location of the (State) University of Iowa, and was the capital until 1857. The county had a decline from 1880 to 1890, before the university, which was founded in 1847, had become a dominant presence.

Warren since 1940. Warren is south of Des Moines (city) and a small portion of the city extends into the county, which has become a suburban area.

Dallas since 1950. Dallas is the main suburban county of Des Moines, to the west of the city. It has increased 171% in population over the past 25 years.

Marion since 1960. Marion is southeast of Des Moines. It is apparently close enough to have a small increase in the 1980s. Marion has increased 36% since 1870, or 0.22% per year.

Iowa Losers

A majority of Iowa counties have experienced declines since 1920. On average, 59.1 of the 99 counties have lost population at a census (59.7%). For the most part the declines have been slow. I suspect that particularly in the eastern part of the state, the population had developed early enough to create small towns that could serve as trade centers and locations for small scale industrialization, so that the population did not crash like in areas that were strictly agriculture.

Iowa has 26 counties (26.2%) that have declined for at least 50 years, five have declined since 1900.

Adams since 1900. Adams is in southwestern Iowa, and has lost 70% of its population over the past 110 years. It is the least populous county in Iowa. Adams is the location of the longest-lived non-religious communal experiment in the United States (1852-1898).

Audubon since 1900. Audobon is in western Iowa, due west of Des Moines (but I-80 slides south of the county).

Keokuk since 1900. Keokuk is in southeastern Iowa, about midway between Des Moines and Davenport, but well south of I-80. The city of Keokuk is about 80 miles to the southeast, and the county and city only share their name.

Taylor since 1900. Taylor is on the Missouri line in southwestern Iowa. Taylor is between Adams, IA and Worth, MO two other counties that have declined since 1900.

Wayne since 1900. Wayne is on the Missouri line in southern Iowa.

Van Buren which had declined since 1900, had a small increase in 2000. Van Buren is on the Missouri line in far southeastern Iowa.

Monroe since 1910. Monroe is in southeastern Iowa, west of Ottumwa. Monroe has an interesting population profile. It grew rapidly to over 25,000 in 1910, and had 23,000 in 1920 before a sharp dropoff in 1930. Monroe was the center of Iowa coal mining in the early 20th Century. The coal was primarily used by the railroads, who switched to mines in Illinois and Kentucky, and later to diesel. By about 1950 Monroe had dropped to about where it would have been as an agricultural county.

Calhoun since 1920. Calhoun in in northwestern Iowa, northwest of Des Moines and east of Sioux Falls. The peak population was in 1900, but the county had a small gain between 1910 and 1920.

Three other counties which had declined since 1920, Guthrie, Ringgold, and Wright had small increases in 2000.

Cass since 1930. Cass is in western Iowa, west of Des Moines. In 1930, Cass County gained one person (+0.005%).

Franklin since 1930. Franklin is in north central Iowa. Franklin's streak began with a loss of 3 (-0.018%) in 1940.

Ida since 1930. Ida is in northwestern Iowa, east of Sioux City. While the declines have been steady, they have been relatively small, with a 41% loss spread over 80 years.

Sac since 1930. Sac is in northwestern Iowa, east of Sioux City. Ida's streak began with a loss of two (-0.011%) in 1940. Sac had a population of 17,639 in 1900 and 1940.

Shelby since 1930. Shelby is in western Iowa, northeast of Council Bluffs. Ida has only lost 29% of its population in the eight decades of losses.

Cheokee since 1940. Cherokee is in northwestern Iowa, east north east of Sioux City.

Kossuth since 1840. Kossuth is that big county in northern Iowa on the Minnesota line. The Iowa legislature had drawn 48 counties in one fell swoop in 1851. Kossuth was the same size as it peers to the east and west, as was Webster with the county seat of Fort Dodge. Fort Dodge was a significant presence in early northwestern Iowa, and was in the northern part of Webster, vulnerable to challenge to its status as county seat. Leaders in Kossuth and Webster county got legislation passed that split Humboldt between Kossuth and Webster between them (two tiers of townships each). Kossuth was  extended to the Minnesota line, extinguishing Bancroft, which would have been Iowa's 100th county.

Webster had further ambitions to the north. Kossuth got word of this, and arranged for the recreation of Humboldt as a sort of buffer between Kossuth and Webster. A legislative clerk, perhaps surreptitiously, kept one tier of townships in Webster, so that it is larger than its neighbors to the east and west. After the Civil War, Crocker County was created  from the northern part of Kossuth. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled this in violation of the Iowa Constitution of 1857, which required counties to have 432 square miles. The constitution also has a proviso that permitted the counties west of Worth to be organized. Bancroft, the county that had been extinguished could have been organized, as the five other counties between Osceola and Worth were. But the court ruled that Crocker was a new county, and could not take advantage of the exception.

Kossuth is the only US County named for a Hungarian.

Lyon since 1940. Lyon is in the extreme northwestern corner of Iowa. It has only lost 25% of the population over 70 years. Lyon is up this decade. It is close enough to Sioux Falls to be within commuting range.

Monona since 1940. Monona is on the Missouri River the center of the western border. Monona only lost 14 persons in 2000 (0.14%).

O'Brien since 1940. O'Brien is in the northwestern corner of Iowa. The county seat of Primghar is at the exact center of the county, and won a county seat election before there was a town. The name of Primghar is formed from the last name of the first eight people to buy plots at the town site.

Osceola since 1940. Osceola is on the Minnesota line in the northwestern corner of Iowa. The peak population was in 1940.

Palo Alto since 1940. Palo Alto is in northwestern Iowa. The county seat is Emmetsburg, which was named by early Irish settlers in the area for Robert Emmet. It is unclear if there is a link to Emmet County which is immediately to the north.

Pocahontas since 1940. Pocahantas is in the northwestern part of the state. Pocahontas is the county seat. Other towns in the county are Rolfe, named for John Rolfe, and Varina, Rolfe's plantation in Virginia.

Floyd since 1950. Floyd is in northeastern Iowa. The county seat is Charles City which was the original locations for the production of internal combustion engine tractors, and where the word 'tractor' was coined. In 1907, 1/3 of all tractors were made in Charles City. In the 1970s, 3000 persons worked at the tractor factory. This had declined to 420 when the factory closed in 1993. During the latter half of the 20th Century Charles City and Floyd have struggled to find replacement industry.

Cerro Gordo since 1960. Cerro Gordon is in north central Iowa. The county seat is Mason City, which is the model for River City in the musical The Music Man, composed by Mason City native Meredith Willson. Clear Lake is also in Cerro Gordo. On February 3, 1959, a plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P.RIchardson (The Big Bopper) crashed, killing all three musicians.

Emmett since 1960. Emmet is on the Minnesota line in northeastern Iowa. The last historical event is the Estherville meteorite in 1879.

Hardin since 1960. Hardin is in central Iowa, north of Des Moines and west of Waterloo. Iowa Falls on the Iowa River is the largest town.

Humboldt since 1960. Humboldt is in north central Iowa, north of Fort Dodge.

Mitchell since 1960. Mitchell is on the Minnesota line in northeastern Iowa. The county seat of Osage is the headquarters of Fox River Socks, maker of Red Heel socks used in the making of sock monkey puppets.

[jimrtex]

Wisconsin acceded to the Union in 1848, the last state east of the Mississippi, excluding West Virginia and northeastern Minnesota.

Only 3 counties lost population in the 1970s, and only 1 in the 1990s, serving as chokepoint on long-term losers. About half of the counties lost population in the 1920s, 1940s, and 1950s, which permitted a large number of long-term gainers. Wisconsin is not as amenable to crop agriculture as Iowa, and the areas that are, in the southern part of the state had enough population to support small towns and local industrialization before agriculture became mechanized. Areas in the north dependent on timbering did not develop large populations, and could gain after conversion to secondary homes and tourism. Lake Michigan permitted development of ports.

When Indiana and Illinois became states, the area that became Wisconsin, much of Upper Peninsula Michigan, and northeastern Minnesota were added to Michigan Territory. The eastern part of Wisconsin was formed into Brown County, with a county seat of Green Bay. The western part of Wisconsin was formed into Crawford County, with a county seat of Prairie du Chien. The boundary was midway on the portage between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River, so that the two counties essentially divided the Lake Michigan and Mississippi Rive areas of interest. Most of Lower Peninsula Michigan, the Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin including the Door Peninsula and Lake Superior shoreline, and northeastern Minnesota were in Michilimackinac County.

While part of Michigan Territory, Milwaukee, Iowa, and Chippewa counties were created. Milwaukee was the portion of Brown south of the northern boundary of modern Ozaukee, Iowa was the portion of Crawford south of the Wisconsin River, and Chippewa was along the Lake Superior shoreline including portions of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin (from the city of Superior eastward), and far northeastern Minnesota (Duluth and the the Iron Range). The Michigan county of Chippewa, with a county seat of Sault Ste. Marie is the remnant of this county. The Wisconsin county of Chippewa was created much later.

In preparation for Michigan statehood, Wisconsin Territory was created. It included not only the portion of the Michigan Territory east of the Mississippi (the last remnant of the Northwest Territory), but the portion of the Louisiana Purchase east of the Missouri River and north of the state of Missouri, which had been unorganized after Missouri had become a State. Wisconsin Territory then consisted of all of modern, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and the eastern parts of the Dakotas.

The Wisconsin territorial legislature met at Burlington, (Iowa) and began creating counties in southeastern Wisconsin in an arc from Manitowoc through Dane and Rock, and in southeastern Iowa. Iowa Territory was created in 1838 from the portion of Wisconsin Territory west of the Mississippi. Had all of Wisconsin Territory become the state of Wisconsin, St. Paul, WI and St. Anthony, WI might have become important river ports, while South St. Paul and South St. Anthony (or perhaps Dakotapolis) would have formed cities on the opposite bank (similar to the Kansas City's, Fargo and Morehead, Louisville and New Albany,  New York City and Hoboken, or Philadelphia and Camden. The capital of the State of Dakota would likely be more centrally located, perhaps around Mankato or Fargo.

By the time of statehood in 1849, the northern part of Wisconsin had been divided among Brown, Portage, Chippewa, St.Croix, and La Pointe counties. Over the next half century, new counties would be formed in this area. Iron and Vilas were not created until 1893, and Gates (now Rusk) in 1901. Menominee was created in 1961, after the federal government had withdrawn recognition of the Menominee tribe (it was later restored in 1973).

Eight Counties Have Gained Since at Least the 1850 Census

Brown since formation in 1820. Brown was created by the Michigan territorial legislature, and covered the eastern part of modern Wisconsin. By 1851, Brown had been reduced to its modern extent. Green Bay is the county seat.

Dane since formation in 1840. Dane was created in 1836 by the Wisconsin territorial legislature. In 1840, the nibble off the northeast corner was part of the creation of Sauk. The county seat, state capital, and location of the University of Wisconsin is Madison. The 1840 population was 314, which increased over 100-fold by 1860.

Racine since formation in 1840. Racine was created in 1836, with Kenosha split off in 1850. The county seat is Racine. The county population is down slightly for this decade.

Sheboygan since formation in 1840. Sheboygan was created in 1836. The county seat is Sheboygan. Since 1930, the county has only had one decade with growth over 10%. It is estimated to be up 0.1% for this decade.

Winnebago since formation in 1840. Winnebago was created in 1840. In 1849 a large extension was added to the north, but by 1856 this had been given to new counties and Winnebago was reduced to its original (and modern) extent. The county seat is Oshkosh. The county has gained 1.5% this decade.

Chippewa since formation is 1850. Chippewa was created in 1845 and included a large area from the Mississippi River to almost Michigan, covering much of the Chippewa River drainage area. It has no direct relationship to Chippewa County, Michigan which at one time included the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Superior. Over the years portions of Chippewa were detached to create all or part of about a dozen counties, stretching from Buffalo and Trempeleau in the south, to Sawyer and Price in the north. The modern Chippewa is about one-seventh of its maximum size. The apparent loss in 1910 was due to the creation of Gates (now named Rusk). The county seat is Chippewa Falls.

Marathon since formation in 1850. Marathon was created in 1850 and extended to the Michigan boundary in the Upper Peninsula. By 1875 it was reduced to its present extent. The county seat is Wausau. The county has gained 1.3% this decade.

Waukesha since formation in 1850. Waukesha was created in 1846 from the western 70% of Milwaukee. It had modest growth, with an uptick around 1920, and has about quintupled since World War II. The county has gained 1.7% this decade.

Three Counties Have Gained Since Their Formation After 1850

Eau Claire since formation in 1860. Eau Claire was created in 1857. The county seat is the city of Eau Claire. The town of Eau Claire was originally named Clearwater, which is English for Eau Claire.

La Crosse since formation in 1860. La Crosse was created in 1851 much larger in size, but was reduced to its modern boundaries by 1857, before its first census. La Crosse is the county seat.

Outagamie since formation in 1860. Outagamie was created in 1851. Appleton is the county seat.

Five Counties Have Streaks of over a Century, But Had Losses in The 19th Century

Kenosha since 1870. Kenosha was created in 1850, prior to the census, but had a loss between 1860 and 1870. Kenosha is the county seat.

Rock since 1880. Rock was created in 1836 and gained until 1870 before it lost about 200 persons in 1880 (-0.5%). Rock only added 90 persons (+0.1%) in 1990, and is up 0.7% this decade. Rock is on the Illinois line, between Madison and Rockford, Ill. The county seat is Janesville.

Dodge since 1890. Dodge was created in 1836 and gained until 1870 before losing in both 1880 and 1890. Since 1890, Dodge has only had one census above 10%, and is down -0.3% for the current decade. Dodge is between Madison, Milwaukee, and Oshkosh. The county seat is Juneau, name for its founder Paul Juneau. Paul Juneau is the son of Solomon Juneau, one of the founders of Milwaukee (Milwaukee is a merger of the eponymously named Juneautown, Walker's Point, and  Kilbourntown. Juneau was the first mayor of the city. Juneau County, Wisconsin is named for Solomon Juneau. Solomon's cousin Joseph Juneau was a gold prospector who made the first discovery near Juneau, Alaska. Joe Juneau was apparently more easy-going than his partner Richard Harris, and was rewarded when miners named the future capital city Juneau rather than Harrisburgh. Juneau returned the love by buying free drinks.

Fond du Lac since 1890. Fond du Lac was created in 1840 and gained until 1880, before losing in 1890. It is up only 0.3% this decade. Fond du Lac is south of Oshkosh at the southern end of Lake Winnebago (Fond du Lac is bottom of the lake in French). The county seat is Fond du Lac.

Washington since 1890. Washington was created in 1836, with Ozaukee created from its eastern third in 1853. Washington gained until 1870, before losses in 1880 and 1890. Washington grew slowly but steadily until World War II, and has quadrupled in population since, as Milwaukee suburbanization took hold.

Three Counties Suffered Their First Loss Since Formation in 2010

Wood since formation in 1860 until a loss of of 1.1% in 2010. Wood is down 1.8% this decade. Wood is south of Wausau. It appears to be vulnerable to manufacturing losses in its largest cities of Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield. Marshfield is the largest city if the 5% in Marathon is included. Wisconsin Rapids is the county seat, and has the largest population wholly within the county.

Oneida since formation in 1890. Oneida was created in 1887, and later was reduced by creation of other counties, particularly Vilas. Oneida is in northern Wisconsin, the county seat is Rhinelander. Oneida has considerable seasonal housing. It has 42% fewer households than it has housing units. Perhaps the loss in 2010 was due to permanent residents selling to summer residents, or merchants becoming seasonal themselves.

Menominee since formation in 1961. The county which is coincident with the the Menominee Indian Reservation is northwest of Green Bay. The population grew rapidly from 1970 to 2000, before declining in 2010. The tribe operates a casino in the county seat of Kashena. They are trying to switch to Kenosha which could be attractive to gamblers from Chicago. There is now a casino in Milwaukee.

[jimrtex]

Trends and Projections (2015 estimate)

This looks at the 2015 estimates and projects whether current streaks will be broken.

Maine

11 of 16 counties are down.

Cumberland (up since 1790) +2.9%

Aroostook (down since 1960) -4.5%

New Hampshire

4 of 10 counties are down.

Hillsborough (up since 1790) + 1.5%

Coos (down since 1980) -5.6%

Vermont

10 of 14 counties are down.

Chittenden (up since 1880) +3.1%

Essex (down since 2000) -2.3%
Rutland (down since 2000) -3.1%
Windsor (down since 2000) -1.6%

Massachusetts

3 of 14 counties are down.

Bristol (up since 1790) +1.5%
Norfolk (up since 1790) +3.8%
Plymouth (up since 1790) +3.1%
Worcester (up since 1790) +2.6%

Berkshire (down since 1970) -2.6%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Berkshire (down since 1970) -2.6%

Rhode Island

4 of 5 counties are down.

Washington (up since 1920) -0.4%

Newport (down since 1990) -0.6%

Providence would become new long term gainer (since 1980)

Connecticut

6 of 8 counties are down.

Fairfield (up since 1790) +3.4%
New Haven (up since 1790) -0.3%

Hartford (last loss was 1980) +0.2%

Fairfield would become sole gainer since 1790.

Litchfield (-3.3%), Middlesex (-1.0%), New Haven (-0.3%), New London (-0.8%), Tolland (-0.8%) and Windham (-1.6%) would become longest losers (since 2010).

New York

43 of 62 counties are down.

Orange (up since 1790) +1.3%
Richmond (up since 1790) +1.2%
Suffolk (up since 1790) + 0.6%

Niagara (down since 1960) -1.8%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Chautauqua (down since 1970) -3.1%
Chemung (down since 1970) -2.0%
Erie (down since 1970) +0.4%
Oneida (down since 1970) -1.0%

New Jersey

9 of 21 counties are down.

Gloucester (up since 1790) +1.1%
Monmouth (up since 1790) -0.3%

Cape May (down since 2000) -2.6%
Essex (down since 2000) +1.7%

Gloucester would become sole gainer since 1790

Cape May would become sole longest loser (since 2000)

Pennsylvania

43 of 67 counties are down.

Berks (up since 1790) +0.9%
Bucks (up since 1790) +0.3%
Chester (up since 1790) +3.4%
Cumberland (up since 1790) +4.6%
Dauphin (up since 1790) +1.8%
Franklin (up since 1790) +2.7%
Lancaster (up since 1790) +3.3%
Montgomery (up since 1790) +2.4%
York (up since 1790) +1.8%

Cambria (down since 1940) -5.1%
McKean (down since 1940) -2.4%
Allegheny (down since 1960) +0.6%
Lawrence (down since 1960) -3.3%

Allegheny would drop from national leaders list.

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Beaver (down since 1970) -1.0%
Warren (down since 1970) -3.4%

Delaware

0 of 3 counties are down.

New Castle (up since 1810) +3.4%

Kent (last loss was 1920) +6.9%
Sussex (last loss was 1920) +9.4%

Maryland

7 of 24 counties are down.

Baltimore county (up since 1790) +3.2%
Washington (up since 1790) +1.5%

Baltimore city (down since 1950) +0.1%

Allegany (-3.4%), Caroline (-1.5%), Dorchester (-0.7%), Garrett (-2.1%), Kent (-2.0%), Somerset (-2.7%), and Talbot (-0.7%) would become longest losers (since 2010).

Virginia

48 of 95 counties, and 12 of 38 independent cities are down.

Campbell, including Lynchburg (up since 1790) +3.4%

Alleghany*, excluding Covington (down since 1980) -3.5%
Alleghany, including Covington (down since 1980) -3.9%
Buchanan (down since 1980) -5.5%
Dickenson (down since 1980) -5.0%
Highland (down since 1980) -4.6%

*Alleghany, Covington independent city, and Clifton Forge, former independent city, have all been losing population since 1980.

Fredericksburg independent city (up since 1900) +15.8%

Covington independent city (down since 1960) -5.1%
Portsmouth independent city (down since 1960) +0.7%

Covington would become sole longest loser independent city and county equivalent.

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Martinsville independent city (down since 1970) -1.3%

West Virginia

39 of 55 counties are down.

Berkeley (up since 1830) +7.4%

Ohio (down since 1940) -3.1%
McDowell (down since 1950) -10.3%
Cabell (down since 1960) +0.5%

North Carolina

49 of 100 counties are down.

Burke (up since 1790) -2.3%
Guilford (up since 1790) +6.0%
Iredell (up since 1790) +6.5%
Lincoln (up since 1790) +3.5%
Moore (up since 1790) +6.9%
Orange (up since 1790) +5.6%
Randolph (up since 1790) +0.7%
Surry (up since 1790) -1.3%
Wake (up since 1790) +13.7%
Wilkes (up since 1790) -1.2%

Washington (down since 1980) -6.4%

Pennsylvania would become national leader with most counties gaining every decade since 1790.

South Carolina

21 of 46 counties are down.

Greenville (up since 1790) + 9.0%

Bamberg (down since 1980) -6.9%
Union (down since 1980) -4.1%

Georgia

76 of 159 counties are down.

Richmond (up since 1790) +0.6%

Clay (down since 1940) -1.3%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Chattahoochee (down since 1970) +0.9%

Florida

20 of 67 counties are down.

Brevard (up since 1850) +4.5%
Duval (up since 1850) +5.6%
Escambia (up since 1850) +4.5%
Hillsborough (up since 1850) +9.7%
Putnam (up since 1850) -3.1%

Monroe (down since 2000) +6.0%
Pinellas (down since 2000) +3.6%

Longest losers would become (since 2010) Bradford (-5.6%), Calhoun (-1.1%), Citrus (-0.1%), Dixie (-1.3%), Gadsden (-0.8%), Hamilton (-3.4%), Hardee (-0.8%), Hendry (-0.1%), Holmes (-3.0%), Jackson (-2.3%), Jefferson (-4.6%), Lafayette (-2.3%), Levy (-2.4%), Liberty (-0.4%), Madison (-4.2%), Okeechobee (-1.3%), Putnam (-3.1%), Taylor (-0.3%), Union (-1.9%), and Washington (-0.8%).

Michigan

54 of 83 counties are down.

Kalamazoo (up since 1840) + 4.0%
Kent (up since 1840) +5.6%
Ottawa (up since 1840) +6.1%

Iron (down since 1920) -4.0%
Gogebic (down since 1940) -6.1%
Ontonagon (down since 1940) -11.4%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Wayne (down since 1970) -3.4%

Wisconsin

40 of 72 counties are down.

Brown (up since 1850) +4.3%
Chippewa (up since 1850) +1.8%
Dane (up since 1850) +7.3%
Marathon (up since 1850) +1.3%
Racine (up since 1850) -0.2%
Sheboygan (up since 1850) +0.1%
Waukesha (up since 1850) +1.7%
Winnebago (up since 1850) +1.5%

Ashland (down since 2000) -1.9%
Buffalo (down since 2000) -2.9%
Burnett (down since 2000) -1.9%
Crawford (down since 2000) -1.5%
Door (down since 2000) -0.8%
Florence (down since 2000) 0.9%
Forest (down since 2000) -2.7%
Green Lake (down since 2000) -1.0%
Iron (down since 2000) -2.1%
Langlade (down since 2000) -3.8%
Lincoln (down since 2000) -2.7%
Manitowoc (down since 2000) -2.0%
Marinette (down since 2000) -2.1%
Menominee (down since 2000) +8.1%
Oneida (down since 2000) -1.2%
Price (down since 2000) -3.6%
Rusk (down since 2000) -4.3%
Washburn (down since 2000) -2.3%
Wood (down since 2000) -1.8%

Ohio

59 of 88 counties are down.

Butler (up since 1810) +2.2%
Franklin (up since 1810) +7.6%
Miami (up since 1810) +1.7%

Jefferson (down since 1960) -3.4%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Clark (down since 1970) -1.7%
Crawford (down since 1970) -3.4%
Cuyahoga (down since 1970) -1.9%
Hamilton (down since 1970) +0.7%
Lucas (down since 1970) -1.8%
Mahoning (down since 1970) -2.9%

Indiana

56 of 97 are down.

Floyd (up since 1820) +2.9%
Monroe (up since 1820) +4.9%

Benton (down since 1960) -2.0%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Blackford (down since 1970) -3.7%
Delaware (down since 1970) -0.7%
Grant (down since 1970) -3.0%
Wayne (down since 1970) -2.8%

Illinois

85 of 102 counties are down.

Sangamon (up since 1830) +0.6%

Stark (down since 1900) -3.4%
Greene (down since 1900) -4.6%
Pike (down since 1940) -2.7%
Carroll (down since 1960) -5.0%
Ford (down since 1960) -2.5%

Potential new to national list (i.e. down since 1970):

Vermilion (down since 1970) -2.9%

Kentucky

66 of 120 counties are down.

McCracken (up since 1830) -0.8%

Fulton (down since 1940) -8.4%
Hickman (down since 1940) -5.9%

McCracken would be replaced by Fayette (up since 1860) +6.3% as longest gainer.

Tennessee

41 of 95 counties are down.

Davidson (up since 1790) +8.3%
Greene (up since 1790) -0.4%
Washington (up since 1790) +2.7%

Benton (down since 2000) -2.2%
Carroll (down since 2000) -2.1%
Clay (down since 2000) -1.1%
Grundy (down since 2000) -1.9%
Hardeman (down since 2000) -4.1%
Haywood (down since 2000) -5.7%
Lake (down since 2000) -3.3%
Obion (down since 2000) -3.7%

Alabama

42 of 67 counties are down.

Baldwin (up since 1820) +11.8%
Madison (up since 1820) +5.5%
Morgan (up since 1820) +0.1%
Shelby (up since 1820) +4.8%

Perry (down since 1940) -8.9%
Sumter (down since 1940) -4.8%
Wilcox (down since 1940) -5.2%
Dallas (down since 1960) -6.1%

Mississippi

60 of 82 counties are down.

Forrest (up since 1910) +1.3%

Bolivar (down since 1930) -2.4%
Humphreys (down since 1940) -7.5%
Noxubee (down since 1940) -4.3%
Quitman (down since 1940) -9.0%
Sharkey (down since 1940) -6.7%
Coahoma (down since 1950) -5.9%

[jimrtex]

Wisconsin Losers

Only three counties lost population between 1970 and 1980, and all three lost again between 1980 and 1990, making the longest (and only) losing streaks: Douglas (since 1940), Lafayette (since 1960), and Milwaukee (since 1970). Milwaukee was the only county to lose between 1990 and 2000, but it gained between 2000 and 2010.

This results in 19 counties that lost between 2000 and 2010 becoming the state leaders. Four counties are superlative in losing most decades over the past century, while three had their first loss since formation. 14 are in the northern part of the state, four (Buffalo, Green Lake, Manitowoc, and Wood) are in the central part, and one (Crawford) is in the south.

Ashland (6 of 10 decades down over past century)
Buffalo (7 of 10 down)
Burnett
Crawford
Door
Florence
Forest
Green Lake
Iron (6 of 10 down)
Langlade
Lincoln
Manitowoc
Marinette
Menonimee (first loss since formation in 1970)
Oneida (first loss since formation in 1890)
Price
Rusk (6 of 10 down)
Washburn
Wood (first loss since formation in 1860)

No Changer

Pepin has had seven thousand and something population for the past 12 censuses, since 1900, including 7,481, 7,450, 7,462, 7,477, and 7,469 in 1920, 1930, 1950, 1980 and 2010, respectively. The range of 31 over those five censuses represents 0.42% of the average of the five. Pepin is on the Mississippi River between La Crosse, and St.Paul, MN.

[jimrtex]

National Trends and Projections (Eastern US).

There are 26 States predominately east of the Mississippi (i.e. excluding Louisiana and Minnesota).

906 of 1605 counties (56.6%) are estimated to have lost population between 2010 and 2015.

Gainers

The 26 States have 72 counties which have the longest streaks of gaining population every census. 62 of these streaks are being extended based on 2015 estimates.

1790

40 counties have gained population every census since 1790 (13 original states, plus Maine, Kentucky, West Virginia, Vermont, and Tennessee).

Maine (1 county), New Hampshire (1), Massachusetts (4), Connecticut (2), New York(3), New Jersey(2), Pennsylvania(9), Maryland (2), Virginia(1), North Carolina (10), South Carolina (1), Georgia (1), Tennessee (3).

Six of the 40 counties are estimated to have lost population for the current decade:

New Haven, CT -0.3%
Monmouth, NJ -0.3%
Burke, NC -2.3%
Surry, NC -1.3%
Wilkes, NC -1.2%
Greene, TN -0.4%

From Statehood

Six States have counties that have gained every census since the first census after statehood. Overall, 23 of 25 counties are in the process of extending their streaks.

Ohio since 1810: 3 of 3 have gained in the current decade.

Indiana since 1820: 2 of 2 have gained in the current decade.

Alabama since 1820: 4 of 4 have gained in the current decade.

Michigan since 1840: 3 of 3 have gained in the current decade.

Florida since 1850: 4 of 5 have gained in the current decade.

Putnam, FL -3.1% is down.

Wisconsin since 1850: 7 of 8 have gained in the current decade.

Racine, WI -0.2% is down.

After Statehood

In seven states, the county with the longest streak began some time after statehood. In all seven states, the longest streak is by a single state. Overall 5 of the 7 streaks are being extended.

Delaware since 1810

West Virginia since 1830

Kentucky since 1830

McCracken, KY -0.8% would be replaced by Fayette, KY (up since 1860)

Illinois since 1830

Vermont since 1880

Mississippi since 1910

Rhode Island since 1920

Washington, RI -0.4% would be replaced by Providence, RI (up since 1980)

Losers

1900 (2): Illinois (2, state leaders, and national leaders east of the Mississippi River).

1910 (0): None.

1920 (1): Michigan (1, state leader)

1930 (1): Mississippi (1, state leader)

1940 (16): Alabama (3, state leaders); Georgia (1, state leader); Illinois (1); Kentucky (2, state leaders); Michigan (2); Mississippi (4); Pennsylvania (2, state leaders), West Virginia (1, state leader).

1950 (3, 1 is up this decade): Maryland (1, state leader); Mississippi (1); West Virginia (1).

Baltimore city, MD is up +0.1%

1960 (13, 3 are up this decade): Illinois (2); Indiana (1, state leader); Alabama (1); Maine (1, state leader); New York (1, state leader); Ohio (1, state leader); Pennsylvania (2); Virginia (2, state leaders); West Virginia (2);

Allegheny, PA is up +0.6%
Portsmouth independent city, VA is up +0.7%
Cabell, WV is up +0.5%

Counties with streaks of four decades or less are only listed if they are the state leader(s). In 2020, streaks beginning in 1970 will qualify for the national list.

1970 (19, 2 are up this decade): Georgia (1); Illinois (1); Indiana (4); Massachusetts (1, state leader); Michigan (1); New York (4); Ohio (6); Virginia (1);

Chattahoochee, GA is up +0.9%
Hamilton, OH is up +0.7%

Counties with streaks starting in 1980 are state leaders only.

1980 (9, in 4 states): New Hampshire (1, state leader); Virginia (5, state leaders among counties); North Carolina (1, state leader); South Carolina (2, state leaders).

In Virginia, 3 independent cities have longer streaks than any county.

1990 (1, in 1 state) Rhode Island (1).

2000 (34, in 5 states, 5 are up this decade): Florida (2); New Jersey (2); Vermont (3); Tennessee (8); Wisconsin (19);

Monroe,FL is up +6.0%
Pinellas, FL is up +3.6%
Essex, NJ is up +1.7%
Florence, WI is up +0.9%
Menominee, WI is up +8.1%

Two states had no county lose population in 2000:

Connecticut, last loss was in 1980 in one county.
Delaware, last loss was in 1920 in two counties.

2010

Potential new streaks for state leaders starting in 2010.

Connecticut, no counties lost in 2000, but 6 counties are down this decade.
Florida, two counties were down in 2000, but both are up this decade; 20 other counties are down this decade.