Regional Chamber president Tom Humphries admits the local population's been falling for decades, suggesting the latest decline isn't "surprising at all." In it's latest annual estimates, the US Census Bureau says all five counties across the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys saw population figures fall last year -- continuing a steady downward trend since 2000. Mahoning County alone lost 2,000-to-3,000 every year. Experts tell me the biggest -- and perhaps most obvious -- reason is a lack of jobs in the area, along with the rising cost of government, which has to be shared by fewer and fewer people.
But even those businesses that are lured to the area are no where near as large as the industry that once dominated the local landscape.
Humphries believes an important key -- along with reducing taxes -- is education, suggesting more needs to be done to encourage local high schoolers to go to college in this area.
Humphries believes those attending college here will train toward landing jobs in this area, which would help both to retain population, as well as improving the area's education level.
As for the Ohio's population figures, experts with the Center for Urban Studies at Youngstown State tell First News for the most part, the greater Columbus area -- along with parts of southwestern Ohio saw growth. The rest of the state declined. The Cleveland area saw the third-worst drop in the country.
