Census: City down 3 percent since 2000

Spencer was passed by another suburb and is the state's 33rd largest city, according to new estimates released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

North Liberty was behind both Oskaloosa and Spencer in the same estimates a year ago. The Iowa City suburb has doubled in size since 2000 and has a population of 11,561.

Spencer remained just under the 11,000-resident mark in the new numbers. The city's estimated population of 10,986 is down 3 percent from 2000. Spencer began the decade with a population of 11,327.

The most recent figures reflect population changes between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2008. The annual numbers are only estimates and serve as a indicator before the next official count takes place in 2010.

Fostoria was the only Clay County community of 10 to reflect growth in the new numbers. The city added 12 residents, from 230 to 242 for a 5.2 percent increase. Rural areas outside city limits in Clay County saw a 5.5 percent loss in population.

Liesl Eathington, Coordinator for Iowa State University's Regional Capacity Analysis Program, said the state has seen a gradual out-migration from smaller communities to Iowa's larger cities and suburbs for the past 25 years.

Her group provides information about economic and demographic trends in Iowa's communities.

"There's the occasional lifestyle choice, but that never really is enough to offset the primary economic motive, which is to earn an income," she said, of the population losses in small towns.

Mid-sized cities like Spencer, Storm Lake and Le Mars, can continue to maintain relatively stable populations if they look to enhance the quality of life for residents.

"A lot of them, like Spencer, have served as regional trade centers for a long time and the importance of that seems to be growing," she said. "A lot of the smaller communities are less and less able to sustain certain types of services -- like medical, for example and a lot of retail. The cities like Spencer have been able to capture some of that activity."

Finding ways to improve the quality of life in small towns is important, too, but Eathington said fighting population losses in those areas may be more difficult.

"People believed for a time that the telecommuting would help with the rural communities a little bit, but that just hasn't borne out the past decade or so," she said. "We just haven't seen that offset the movement in the other direction."

The area's most robust growth continued to take place in communities at the heart of the Iowa Great Lakes.

Arnolds Park saw 7.9 percent growth form 1,162 residents in 2000 to 1,249 in the new estimates. The city of Okoboji grew 5 percent from the 2000 Census, from 820 to 861. Spirit Lake gained 421 residents for an estimated population of 4,692 -- an 9.9 percent increase.

Eathington said smaller cities near a natural amenity have better opportunities for growth because they tend to draw retirees and professionals who don't have to work from their office in a larger city.

Eastern towns in Dickinson County didn't fare as well in the new estimates, with Superior seeing a 11.3 percent loss and Terril slipping 9.9 percent. Rural areas outside city limits saw a 0.2 percent decrease in population.

In Buena Vista County, nine of its 10 municipalities did not see growth, with Lakeside posting a modest gain in the estimates. Storm Lake went from 10,075 residents in the 2000 Census count to 9,591 in the latest numbers, a 4.8 percent loss. Lakeside gained 3.3 percent. Rural areas outside city limits lost 3.7 percent.

All eight cities in Cherokee County saw a significant loss of residents since the 2000 count, according to the figures released Wednesday. Larrabee saw the sharpest dip -- its loss of 22 residents represented a 14.8 percent decline. The city of Cherokee went from 5,369 to 4,697 for a 12.5 percent loss. Areas outside the eight cities lost 10.3 percent of its population.

"Probably, realistically, there's not much that a city can do," Eathington said. "A city really ought to focus on making sure it can maintain quality of life and provide services to those who are still there. But, there really aren't any Herculean efforts that they can go to, as they try to buck that force. It's just too powerful."

The Census Bureau said the six communities in Emmet County also lost residents, led by Dolliver's 20.8 percent decline. Estherville went from 6,657 to 6,291 for a 5.5 percent loss. The population of unincorporated areas fell 3.2 percent.

All eight cities in O'Brien County saw numbers slide, with Calumet taking a 16 percent hit. Sheldon went from 4,922 to 4,757 for a 3.4 percent loss. The areas of O'Brien County outside city limits saw a 8.1 percent drop.

The five towns in Osceola County all lost residents since 2000. Harris lost 10.5 percent of its population to show the biggest decline. Sibley went from 2,796 to 2,612 for a 6.6 percent drop. Rural areas in the county lost 9.3 percent.

The nine incorporated towns of Palo Alto County lost residents. Ayrshire suffered the most significant loss at 12.4 percent since 2000. Emmetsburg went from 3,904 to 3,616 residents for a 7.4 percent loss. Rural areas of Palo Alto County had a 8.1 percent population decline.

The nine towns in Pocahontas County lost population. Palmer had the biggest loss since 2000 at 18.2 percent. The city of Pocahontas went from 1,970 to 1,799 for a 8.7 percent decline. The rural areas of Pocahontas County had a population decrease of 14.1 percent.

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AROUND THE REGION:

A look at the 2008 population of area communities, based on new annual census estimates, and the percentage population change from 2000 to 2008.

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THE TOP 40:

DES MOINES (AP) Iowa cities in metropolitan areas have grown the most since 2000 with numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau showing Waukee as the fastest growing city in the state.

Census figures show that Waukee, just west of Des Moines, grew by more than 140 percent, but Ankeny, just north of Des Moines, saw the largest numeric growth, adding more than 15,000 residents since 2000.

Two other Des Moines suburbs, Urbandale and West Des Moines ranked second and third in the number of residents the cities have added this decade.

At the same time, census figures show that four of the state's largest cities, Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City and Waterloo all lost residents since 2000.

Iowa's population has grown to just over 3 million, up 2.6 percent since 2000.

1. Des Moines -- 197,052

2. Cedar Rapids -- 128,056

3. Davenport -- 100,827

4. Sioux City -- 82,807

5. Iowa City -- 67,831

6. Waterloo -- 66,662

7. Council Bluffs -- 59,536

8. Dubuque -- 57,250

9. Ames -- 56,510

10. West Des Moines -- 55,426

11. Ankeny -- 42,287

12. Urbandale 38,369

13. Cedar Falls -- 38,059

14. Marion -- 32,821

15. Bettendorf -- 32,584

16. Mason City -- 27,337

17. Clinton -- 26,407

18. Marshalltown -- 25,850

19. Burlington -- 25,327

20. Fort Dodge -- 25,180

21. Ottumwa -- 24,342

22. Muscatine -- 22,504

23. Coralville -- 18,478

24. Johnston -- 15,691

25. Clive -- 15,234

26. Newton -- 15,042

27. Indianola -- 14,361

28. Altoona -- 13,854

29. Boone -- 12,614

30. Waukee -- 12,367

31. North Liberty -- 11,561

32. Oskaloosa -- 11,069

33. Spencer -- 10,986

34. Fort Madison -- 10,897

35. Keokuk -- 10,387

36. Pella -- 10,208

37. Carroll -- 9,985

38. Storm Lake -- 9,591

39. Perry -- 9,569

40. Waverly -- 9,298

Note: Le Mars is No. 43, with 9,127 residents.