Census data: Lorain County population continues to rise

ELYRIA — While the majority of Ohio's 88 counties saw a decline in population from the last census, Lorain County grew. Lorain County gained about 3,300 residents, according to the Census Bureau's 2022 population estimates, whereas larger metropolitan counties like Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Franklin and Montgomery recorded a loss. Lorain County gained about 4,600 residents due to migration from other counties, states and internationally, according to the same data. Migration to Lorain County offset the number of deaths over the past two years, which continued to outpace births to bring the overall population increase to 3,294. In a news release, Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau's population division, noted the country's migration and growth patterns have moved closer to pre-pandemic levels. The 2020 census recorded substantial growth for the county from the 2010 census, The Chronicle-Telegram previously reported. From Amherst and Avon to Lorain and Oberlin, population booms saw the countywide total grow from 301,356 residents in 2010 to 312,964 in 2020. The 2022 estimate continued that trend, with Lorain County at about 316,268 residents. While the state as a whole lost about a half-percent of residents, Lorain County was not the only area to record an increase. Counties along Interstate 71, including Medina, Knox, Licking, Holmes and Fairfield counties, also recorded growth. The largest statistical increase in the state was Union County, which gained more than 4,100 residents, a 6.5 percent increase. For Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass, the local numbers were not wholly surprising. Housing sales in 2021 were up, he said, and values continued to rise last year while the market has remained active. "It's just been extremely, extremely busy the last couple years," he said. "The sale prices have been far exceeding my values and that's not just in cities, but across the board. Cities, townships, villages, the sale prices have been far above my market values, which would tend to support that we've had an increase in population." He said North Ridgeville and Columbia Township continue to see growth, with a lot of construction on what used to be golf courses in the township. He suspected individuals may be moving to Lorain County from neighboring Cuyahoga County, as Lorain County's tax rates are lower. Cuyahoga County lost more than 28,000 residents, according to census data. "We're one of the diamonds in the rough and I think people are realizing Lorain county has a lot to offer," he said, noting Lorain County has various housing options — from rural to urban — as well as the lakefront. "We check a lot of boxes." Moving into the second quarter of 2023, his office is beginning work on reevaluations, starting in the southern end of the county and working north. That reevaluation will quantify the county's market valuation, something he expects to increase, based on the way sales have been over the past couple of years. Even with the recorded growth in Lorain County, deaths still continued to outpace births. Nationally, more than 74 percent of counties recorded more deaths than births in 2022, but the country's population still remained overall positive with more than 8.1 million births compared with 7.7 million deaths. There were nearly 40,000 more deaths than births in the Buckeye State in 2022. In Lorain County, deaths outpaced births by 1,524, according to 2022 estimates, marking a continuation of a trend from 2021 numbers. The "natural decrease" in population noted from the 2020 census to July 1, 2021, saw 646 more Lorain County residents die than were born in that time period. Analysts at that time attributed the numbers to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Census Bureau notes natural decreases remain historically high in its 2022 estimates. This story has been corrected to reflect migration data is inclusive of residents moving to Lorain County from other Ohio counties, as well as other states and internationally. Former Medina Gazette Managing Editor David Knox contributed to this story. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.