Census figures show Washington, Greene have lost population since 2010
Associated Press
The 2020 Census is still underway despite the current COVID-19 pandemic.
California, Finleyville and East Washington have all decreased in population since 2010 according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Though no municipality in Greene County gained population since 2010, Wayne, Aleppo and Gilmore townships faced the smallest drops since 2010 according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Washington and Greene counties have gotten smaller.
Not geographically, but in the number of people residing within their borders over the past eight years.
The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released 2018 population estimates for incorporated municipalities nationwide. Among the innumerable conclusions that can be gleaned from the innumerable figures is Greene and Washington have lost population since the last “official” Census of 2010.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Cecil, North Strabane and Peters townships have all grown significantly since 2010 according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Washington’s dropoff over that time frame is minimal compared with Greene’s. Washington County had 207,820 residents in 2010, and an estimated 207,346 as of last July 1 – a decrease of 474, or 0.23%. But, according to the numbers, the county also gained 50 residents since July 2017.
Greene County, according to the bureau, had an official population of 38,686 in 2010, but fell to an estimated 36,506 last year. That is a decline of 2,180 residents, or 5.97%. The 2018 figure is 343 less than the 2017 estimate.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
No municipality in Greene County gained population since 2010, and Richhill, Washington and Morgan townships faced the steepest drops since 2010 according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
All of Greene’s 26 municipalities lost population over that eight-year period, according to the Census figures, as did 60 of the 66 municipalities in Washington (32 townships, 32 boroughs, two cities). That’s a minus for 86 of the 92 municipalities in the two counties.
All of the six that posted increases are townships: Cecil, Chartiers, Mt. Pleasant, North Strabane, Peters and South Strabane. At 11.24%, Cecil had the largest percentage jump since 2010, according to the Census report. North Strabane (8.16%) was second, followed by Peters (3.83%).
Cecil Township manager Don Gennuso could not be immediately reached for comment.
The 2018 estimates list Peters Township (22,057) as the most populous municipality in the county, followed by North Strabane (14,600), Washington city (13,508) and Cecil (12,699).
Interesting fact: Those four incorporated communities, collectively, have a population of 62,864 – 30.3 percent of Washington County’s residents.
East Washington Borough, somewhat surprisingly, experienced the largest estimated decline in the county between 2010 and 2018, falling 22.55% from 2,234 residents to 1823. Finleyville was the only other municipality in the county to lose more than 10% over that period, dropping 12.99% – from 461 to 408.
East Washington officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Franklin Township, according to the 2018 estimates, had the largest population in Greene (6,819), followed by Cumberland Township (6,227) and Waynesburg Borough (4,017). But all three municipalities lost significant numbers since 2010, declining 6.76%, 6.36% and 3.96% respectively.
Franklin, Cumberland and Waynesburg combine for 46.7 percent of Greene County’s population.
Pittsburgh, the erstwhile Steel City to the north, is continuing to lose residents, according to the report. The Burgh has an estimated population of 301,048, less than half of the 604,300 residents it had in 1960, when it was the 16th most populous city in the nation. Pittsburgh is now 66th.
The city’s 2018 figure is 672 fewer than it was in July 2017. Allegheny County likewise lost population, an estimated 2,204 in one year.
Pennsylvania, conversely, has gained population since 2010 – about 104,187 residents. There were an estimated 12,807,060 Pennsylvanians last July, a 0.8% increase in eight years.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Both the state as a whole and Washington County are projected to gain population since 2010 according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
These latest figures, of course, aren’t exact. But they can be telling. The next full Census count will come out in April 2020.