By Charles Wolfe
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Spencer County is still booming.

Kentucky's top growth county, a commuter haven southeast of Louisville, also is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

The agency estimated Spencer County's population increased by 21.5 percent from April 2000 to July 1, 2003, the most recent estimate period. It was easily the highest growth rate in Kentucky and 11th-highest in the nation. "It's a wonderful challenge," David Jenkins, the county judge-executive, said in a telephone interview. "It brings all kinds of opportunities."

Boone County was second, its population swelling by 13 percent over the same period. It ranked 80th among the nation's fastest-growing counties.

The Census Bureau estimated that 31 Kentucky counties had a measurable population decline over the period. Fulton County had the most pronounced loss, 4.3 percent. The state as a whole grew by an estimated 1.9 percent.

Ron Crouch, director of the Kentucky State Data Center in Louisville, said the new estimates show - predictably - that most growth occurred in urban areas.

The Census Bureau released updated population estimates for the nation's 3,142 counties and parishes. Spencer County's population was estimated at 14,301 - hardly the stuff of a megalopolis but more than double the number of people the county had in the 1990 census.

"I don't think anybody would anticipate this string of growth lasting this long," Jenkins said. "But we don't see any end to it for a while."

Demand for housing remains strong, Jenkins said. Water lines and sewer service are being extended as fast as pipes can be laid. "It seems like you can never upgrade fast enough," he said.

Kentucky's total population had topped 4.1 million, a gain of about 69,000 people since 2000. Estimated growth from 2002 to 2003 was 0.7 percent, compared to a national growth rate of 1 percent.

Crouch said he spotted one aberration in the latest estimates - a 3.3 percent decline in Christian County. Crouch said that was due mainly to the mass deployment of soldiers from Fort Campbell.