Population up in one county, down in three others

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

LOUISA — Population rose in one Big Sandy county and dropped in three others between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. Census figures released Thursday.

Figures show that population increased in Lawrence County but decreased in Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties during the last 10 years.

Floyd and Martin counties saw the biggest drop in population among the four counties, losing more than 5,000 people between them.

Lawrence County’s population rose 2.7 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to the Census figures, with population rising from 15,860 to 16,293. The county’s population density was 39.2 people per square mile of land area.

Johnson County’s population dropped 2.9 percent, with the county losing 676 people during the last 10 years, with population decreasing from 23,356 to 22,680. The county’s population density was 86.6 people per square mile.

Floyd County lost 3,509 people during the 10-year period, with population sliding from 39,451 to 35,942 from 2010 to 2020, or 8.9 percent. The population density for Floyd County was 91.4 people per square mile.

Martin County had 1,642 less people in 2020 than in 2010, with population dropping 12.7 percent from 12,929 to 11,287. The county’s population density was 49.2 people per square mile of land area.

The counties’ population decline goes along with the national norm as 52 percent of counties in the U.S. saw their populations drop between 2010 and 2020, the Census says.

Kentucky’s overall population rose 3.8 percent from 2010 to 2020, gaining 166,469 people. The state’s population increased from 4,339,367 in 2010 to 4,505,836 in 2020. Kentucky’s population density was 114.1 people per square mile.