County’s growth slow according to census
Franklin County’s population did not change as much as officials had hoped when preliminary numbers were released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday.
The county’s total population rose from 31,223 in 2000 to a reported total of 31,704 in 2010. The total increase represents fewer than 500 people.
Several county agencies joined together in promoting the importance of an accurate count throughout 2010 and without that effort, the results could have been detrimental to government funding for Franklin County.
“We had hoped the numbers would have been a little more, but if everyone had not worked so hard, we may have had a decrease,” Probate Judge Barry Moore said.
Data released by the Census Bureau this week did not break down the demographics of the county.
“You have to take into account that people were moving out of the county also, not just moving in,” Moore said.
However, the county is one of just about half in the state that saw an increase in population over the last decade. Thirty counties in Alabama — almost half the 67 — showed population loss in the last decade.
The statewide trend appears to be a shift from rural counties to more urban areas. Huntsville experienced the most growth in the state and areas surrounding larger cities, such as Madison and Shelby County, also continued to grow.
The state also became more diverse. Statewide, the Hispanic population grew 145 percent, adding 109,772 to the state’s population. Hispanics now make up 3.9 percent of the population, compared with 1.7 percent a decade ago.
In numerical terms, Jefferson County saw the most Hispanic immigration, adding 15,204 to the 2000 population count. Madison County brought in 10,178 Hispanics, and Shelby drew 8,657 additional Hispanic residents.
Numbers have not been made available concerning Franklin County’s Hispanic population.
Blacks now represent a slightly larger percentage of the state’s population, 26.2 percent, up from 26 percent in 2000.
Data for Alabama shows that the five most populous incorporated places and their 2010 Census counts are Birmingham, 212,237; Montgomery, 205,764; Mobile, 195,111; Huntsville, 180,105; and Tuscaloosa, 90,468. Birmingham decreased by 12.6 percent since the 2000 Census. Montgomery grew by 2.1 percent, Mobile decreased by 1.9 percent, Huntsville grew by 13.8 percent and Tuscaloosa grew by 16.1 percent.
The largest county is Jefferson, with a population of 658,466. Its population decreased by 0.5 percent since 2000. The other counties in the top five include Mobile, with a population of 412,992 (increase of 3.3 percent); Madison, 334,811 (increase of 21.0 percent); Montgomery, 229,363 (increase of 2.6 percent); and Shelby, 195,085 (increase of 36.1 percent).
