The population is shifting in certain parts of the state, and it’s not all for the good, according to a report released by the Alabama State Data Center.
“The population is changing in different ways, in different parts of the state,” said Annette Watters, manager of the Alabama State Data Center at the UA Center for Business and Economic Research. “Some rural parts of the state are seeing rapid growth, while others, such as counties like Clay, Fayette and Butler, are seeing population loss.”
These are just a few examples of counties that have been affected by the recent economic downturn. The report listed counties in three areas that have undergone both net outmigration and more deaths than births between 2008 and 2009: east central Alabama, in Clay, Randolph, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers and Macon counties; upper west central Alabama, in Marion, Winston, Lamar, Fayette, Walker and Pickens counties and the central south Alabama, in Butler and Covington counties.
“Although some rural areas are losing population, not all rural counties are,” she said.
She said many of these people are moving away because there has been significant amount of jobs lost in the area.
“When people can’t find work, they move,” she said.
Larry Lee, director of the Center for Rural Alabama at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, said that population loss in rural areas can result in a downward spiral for these counties. Lee said that from the years of 1950 to 2000 rural counties in Alabama loss population due to changes in agriculture and people leaving the farms.
“People move out of these areas because of lack of opportunity, but when the population steadily decreases the amount of federal dollars to that community does as well,” Lee said.
“This is why the census is very important for counties as well as Tuscaloosa,” Watters said. “Given the recent growth of this town, students should definitely fill out the census so there will be accurate numbers of the population here.”
The population determines federal money given to the town for federally funded programs and things such as roads and federal jobs.
“These federal dollars are helping people in need,” Watters said.
Watters also said the census is also important when businesses decide to come to a particular town.
“Businesses use data to make decisions on whether to open a store in a particular place and if the census numbers aren’t right then it may turn them away because the town is too small,” she said.
Lee said this data also tells businesses more about the workforce that is available and also how educated they are. He said there are two major issues that are most pressing in rural areas and there are things that should be done to improve them.
“We should focus more on local education, and providing jobs in these areas,” he said. “Recently we did a study finding high poverty, and high performing schools, but for every one that we counted there were many others we skipped,” he said.
“We need to realize that 75 percent of created jobs come from expansion of businesses that are already in the community,” he said. “Too many times a place dwells on what it doesn’t have, instead of thriving from what it does have.”
