Franklin County sees growth in population

By Staff
Mike Self, Franklin County Times
A recent independent study indicates that Franklin County witnessed a 42 percent growth in population from 1960 to the year 2000.
Census data indicates that the county's population in 1960 was 21,988. When the census was taken in 2000, that figure had risen to 31,223, a growth of 9,235 people.
According to the study, Franklin County was one of 22 counties in Alabama to experience a population growth of 8.7-42.8 percent.
Lawrence County saw an identical growth of 42 percent from 1960-2000, while Colbert County only witnessed a population increase of 18.5 percent.
The difference between Franklin and Colbert counties can be explained by the fact that Colbert County had more than twice the population (46,506) when the census was taken in 1960 said the study's author, Larry Lee.
The county's population was 54,984 in 2000, an increase of 8,478.
That figure almost matches the raw growth seen in Franklin County (9,235) over the same time period, but the percentage is much lower due to the dramatic difference in population when the data was first gathered in 1960.
Twenty-three counties witnessed a growth in population of 42.8-465.4 percent from 1960 to 2000. The largest growth was seen in Shelby County, which increased from 25,388 to 143,293 (464.4 percent).