Saturday, March 17, 2001
Ohio becoming more diverse, count shows
By Derrick DePledge
Enquirer Washington Bureau
and Jim Siegel
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON - Most of Ohio's biggest cities lost population in the past decade as more people moved to the suburbs.
Columbus, the state capital, defied that trend by gaining population, and also attracted suburban growth in nearby areas.
Population and demographic figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of the Census also show that the state, like much of the nation, has become more racially diverse but remains predominantly white.
The number of Hispanics, Asians and blacks grew significantly, and people for the first time were able to describe themselves as belonging to more than one race. (Tristate racial breakdown).
The data from the 2000 Census were given to Gov. Bob Taft and state leaders to help redraw the boundaries of the state's 18 congressional districts.
Ohio will lose a congressional district because its population growth, 4.7 percent in the past 10 years to 11,353,140, was eclipsed by states in the South and the West.
The population shifts in Ohio are similar to the trends in other states. Although city living has become more popular in the past few years, the pull during the past decade has been toward the suburbs.
The Census Bureau reported the top five cities as:
• Columbus, up 12.4 percent, to 711,470.
• Cleveland, down 5.4 percent, to 478,403,
• Cincinnati, down 9.1 percent, to 331,285.
• Toledo, down 5.8 percent, to 313,619.
• Akron, down 2.7 percent, to 217,074.
Dayton lost 8.7 percent since the 1990 Census, to 166,179.
Suburban counties, as expected, had the biggest percentage increases in population. Delaware County, just north of Columbus, jumped by 64.3 percent, to 109,989, and is the state's fastest-growing county. Franklin County, home to Columbus, grew 11.2 percent, to 1,068,978.
Steve Kelley, a senior econo mist with the Ohio Department of Development, said planners will know more about the demographics of the population shift when the Census Bureau releases detailed age, family and housing data this summer.
A healthy economy throughout most of the decade and an increase in two-income households have given more people the freedom to live where they choose, Mr. Kelley said.
“We have people on the go and looking for the best opportunity,” he said. “They vote with their feet.”
Of the state's 10 fastest-growing counties, eight are considered heavily Republican areas. The other two are split fairly evenly between the two major political parties. But the county that traditionally provides the most Democratic support — Cuyahoga — experienced a population decline.
Six of the 10 counties that saw the greatest percentage decline are in Democratic territory.
“There's no question the growth trend is in Republican areas,” said Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party.
Republicans have majorities in the state House and Senate and hold four of the five slots on the state's reapportionment board, which will give them an advantage when redrawing congressional and state districts.
The Census Bureau provided a more comprehensive breakdown on race than in previous population counts, so some of the numbers are not directly comparable with years past. People also were able to describe themselves as belonging to one or more races, and the Asian and Pacific Islander categories were separated.
The number of Hispanics grew by 55.4 percent, to 217,123. His panics now account for 1.9 percent of the state's population.
Asians, with a 47.8 percent increase, to 132,663, make up 1.2 percent of the population. Blacks, with a 12.7 percent increase, to 1,301,307, represent 11.5 percent.
The number of whites moved up 1.3 percent and covers 85 percent of the population.
People who consider themselves multiracial account for 1.4 percent of the state's population.
Many of the individual racial categories swelled, however, when the Census Bureau added people of more than one race. For example, the number of American Indians grew by 20.3 percent, but the people who call themselves American Indian and another race leapt by 273.7 percent.
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