Dallas County in central Iowa remains the fastest growing in the state according to U-S Census Bureau estimates. State Data Center coordinator, Gary Krob says the population of the county has grown by 14-thousand people since the 2010 Census.
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Dallas County’s population has increased by 169 percent since 1990. Johnson County is second in growth (10.2 percent) and Polk County third (8.6 percent). One third of Iowa’s 99 counties have grown, and a majority of the population is centered around big cities.
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While Dallas County has shown the largest percentage growth, Polk County, which is the home to state government, had the largest actual numbers growth in population. Polk County gained 37-thousand-76 new residents and remains Iowa’s largest county with an estimated population of 467-thousand-711. Outside the major metropolitan areas, it’s a different story.
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Clinton County saw the largest population decline with a drop of 13-hundred-48 (1,348) residents. Cerro Gordo County was next with a loss of one thousand-134 (1,134) residents.
Births outpaced deaths in Iowa in the last 10 years, but Krob says most of the increase in population is from people moving into the state. And a majority of the new arrivals are from other countries.
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