By Ken Alltucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio was one of the slowest-growing states in the U.S. over the past year, according to 2002 population estimates released today.

The Buckeye State's population inched up .3 percent to 11,421,267 from July 2001 to July 2002, a rate surpassed by all but five states nationwide. Both Kentucky and Indiana added population at nearly twice the pace of Ohio, but all three states grew more slowly than the national average.

Kentucky recorded the fastest growth in the Tristate with its population up .6 percent, and Indiana's growth of .5 percent was close behind. The Census population estimates didn't include data for counties, cities or other municipalities.

The U.S. population rose 1.1 percent to 288.4 million with the fastest growth in the south and west, according to Census Bureau demographer Melissa Therrien.

Nevada was the fastest-growing state with a surge of 3.6 percent, followed by Arizona, Florida, Texas and Georgia.

Pennsylvania and Louisiana notched growth equal to Ohio's rate of .3 percent; West Virginia and Iowa had even slower growth. North Dakota was the only state to lose population.

The most recent population data for counties was released last spring, and it showed that Hamilton County was the second-fastest population loser in 2001 among all large U.S. counties with only Philadelphia declining faster.

A recent study by the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission also showed more people left Greater Cincinnati than moved here in 2001. It's the first time the metropolitan region lost population to other cities and states in at least a decade.

E-mail kalltucker@enquirer.com