MANSFIELD — Richland County has apparently stopped the bleeding in terms of population loss, according to U.S. Census data released Thursday.
The county had 124,936 residents in 2020, according to the Census, an increase of 0.4 percent over 2010 in the nationwide count, which is done every decade. That’s an increase of 461 residents.
While it’s not huge growth, it’s a dramatic change over 2010. When that count was done, it was found Richland County’s population declined 3.4 percent in the decade prior — dropping to 124,475 from 128,852.
Richland County Commissioner Cliff Mears, who came to Mansfield from Toledo 40 years ago to work at Westinghouse, said Friday he was delighted to see the growth.
“We do have opportunities here. This is a great place to raise a family. I think it’s catching up to people that this is a great place to live,” Mears said.
He said previous declines came as large industries such as General Motors, Westinghouse and others closed their doors.
“I think we are past the point where the larger businesses that didn’t do well have left town,” Mears said. “The smaller businesses that are here today are more stable and are able to recruit and retain workers. People are beginning to see all the potential this place has.
“I think we can do even more to optimize the business opportunities,” said Mears, a long-time Mansfield City Council member who moved into the county commissioner’s role in January.
The importance of the U.S. Census was driven home when the local effort began in April 2019 to push for residents to participate. Officials said the Census is worth $675 billion annually in federal funding, of which Ohio received about $33 billion in 2018.
State Rep. Marilyn John, who represents Richland County in Columbus, said the Census effort began after the 2010 effort. Then the mayor of Shelby, she worked on the board with Richland Community Development Group in a group effort to stem the tide.
“We looked at the declining population and its effects,” John said Friday. “We had goals. The first goal was to stop the decline within five years. The next goal was to grow the population in the five to 10 years after that. We are meeting our goals,” said John, who later helped lead the counting effort as a county commissioner.
“There has been a lot of work put into this by many people,” she said.
The county’s “high water” mark in terms of population was in 1980 when it had 131,205 residents. That came after four straight decades of growth when the county went from 91,305 residents in 1940 to the top mark in 1980.
The local growth in the last 10 years came via increased adult population in a county that saw a decline in those under age 18, according to the Census.
The number of adults in Richland County grew 1.5 percent in the past decade, adding 1,427 residents. It had 97,883 residents 18 or older, about 78.3 percent of the total population.
The number of residents younger than 18 declined by 3.4 percent between 2010 and 2020, the Census reported, a decline of 966 people. It had 27,053 residents, about 21.7 percent of the total population.
In the 2010 county, those under 18 represented about 22.5 percent of Richland County’s population.
Mears said he thinks local younger people graduating from school will often look for opportunities outside the area.
“I think are we are going to slow that down, too,” he said. “I think economically we have more opportunities for young people.”
He said the low cost of living, safe communities and readily available health care through OhioHealth and Avita help keep the county’s appeal to adults.
The Census data released Thursday revealed a mixed bag of results across north central Ohio.
— Knox County grew by 3 percent (1,800 residents) and now has a population of 62,271.
— Ashland County declined 1.3 percent (692 residents) and now has a population of 52,477.
— Crawford County declined 4 percent (1,759 residents) and now has a population of 42,025.
— Huron County declined 1.8 percent (1,061 residents) and now has a population of 58,565.
— Morrow County remained statistically the same, growing by 123 residents and now has a population of 34,950.
As a state, Ohio’s population increased 2.3 percent to 11,799,448, making it the country’s seventh largest. The state saw an increase of 262,944 residents in the last decade. The national rate of population increase was 7.4 percent.
Some of the biggest growth came in central Ohio. Franklin County grew by 13.8 percent, becoming the state’s most populous county with 1,322,807 residents. Cuyahoga County, which had been the largest, declined 1.2 percent and dipped to second at 1,264,817.
Overall, 33 of Ohio’s 88 counties grew from 2010 to 2020. Ten of the 11 counties considered to be a part of the “Columbus Region,” including Knox, saw populations increase.
