2015 county predictions

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Loving County, Texas and Kalawao County, Hawaii have been trading off the title of smallest county in the country over the past 6 years.  In even years, it's been Loving County.  In odd years, like 2015, it has been Kalawao County.  The 2015 esitmates have Kalawao's population at 89 and Loving's at 112. 

Kalawao's population has been stable, as it is a former leper colony with no new residents allowed.  It lost 1 resident this decade.  Loving County's population has fluctuated wildly over this decade from even year to odd year.

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Top 10 Counties with 10,000 or more people by percentage Population Growth 2014-2015:

McKenzie County, ND (Watford City)    16.65% (Oil and Gas)
Williams County, ND (Williston)            9.85%  (Oil and Gas)
Mountrail County, ND (Stanley)              5.97% (Oil and Gas)
Stark County, ND (Dickinson)            5.46% (Oil and Gas)
Hays County, TX (San Marcos)       5.21% (Austin sprawl)
Broomfield County, CO (Broomfield)     5.16% (Denver sprawl)
Wasatch County, UT (Heber City)           4.95% (Provo sprawl)
Comal County, TX (New Braunfels)     4.54% (San Antonio sprawl)
Sumter County, FL (The Villages)         4.29% (Retirees moving to The Villages)
Fort Bend County, TX (Sugar Land)     4.29% (Houston sprawl)

9 of the top 10 are in the central U.S.  It will be interesting to see if the North Dakota oil counties can continue to grow or will decline in the 2015-16 period.  I doubt they will grow at such a fast pace, and probably will start to decline, but I also doubted that they would grow so fast in the 2014-15 period, too.

Bottom 10 counties with 10,000 or more people by percentage Population Decline 2014-2015:
Emery County, UT (Huntington)     -2.46% (?)
Roosevelt County, NM (Portales)       -2.58% (?)
Lee County, SC (Bishopville)                -2.63% (?)
Vernon Parish, LA (Leesville)          -2.71% (Fort Polk?)
Liberty County, GA (Hinesville)       -4.10% (Fort Stewart?)
San Juan County, NM (Farmington)   -4.24% (Bad economy?)
Bleckley County, GA (Cochran)          -4.31% (?)
Chattahoochee County, GA (Cusetta) -4.45% (Fort Benning?)
Meade County, KY (Brandenburg)   -4.57% (Fort Knox?)
Greene County, MS (Leakesville)   -5.52%  (?)

4 of the bottom 10 counties seem to be due to military realignment.  The others tend to be rural counties with populations between 10,000 and 20,000 near no major city.