Seneca County shrinks, Tiffin grows

The recently released data from the 2020 Census included population estimates and changes in states, cities, villages and counties from April 2010 to July 2019. Though Ohio as a whole saw a 1.3% increase in population, several local counties didn't mirror that trend. Ohio's population has increased every year since 2010 at a steady rate. Seneca County, however, has had a declining population since 2010, with a 2.8% decrease over the past 10 years. Wyandot County had a 3.7% decrease in population, and Sandusky County saw a 4% decrease, one of the largest in the state. However, Hancock and Wood counties both increased in population. Hancock grew at the same rate as the state, with a 1.3% increase, and Wood County grew by 4.2% — the 13th largest increase of all Ohio's 88 counties. The City of Tiffin grew by 32 people from 2018 to 2019, though previously the population either decreased or remained nearly the same every year from 2014-2018. The 2019 increase marks a reversal of that trend. The city's population was 17,582 people in 2019. The City of Fostoria has decreased in population every year since 2010, and lost 19 residents from 2018 to 2019. Over the decade, Fostoria lost about 2% of its population. Most of the villages around Seneca, Wood and Wyandot counties had a general population decline over the past 10 years, with the exceptions of Bloomdale, Bradner and Risingsun. There was no data available in the incorporated places population estimates for either Bascom or McCutchenville. As for Seneca County's villages, the population decreased in each. Attica saw a nearly 5% decrease from 2010 to 2019, with steady decreases every year except in 2014 and 2019, when the village regained two citizens. Bettsville decreased at a small, steady rate over the decade, with about a 6% decrease from 2010 to 2019. Bloomville also saw about a 5% decrease, as did Green Springs, New Riegel and Republic. In surrounding counties' villages, the trend was different. Bloomdale saw a 1% increase over the decade, mostly from a population boom between 2010 and 2014. After that, the village's population has remained roughly the same. Bradner is a real stand-out, with a population that has increased every single year since 2010. The population is 3.4% larger than it was ten years ago. Risingsun is similar — it's gone up every year with the exception of a hiccup in 2017. Risingsun has also grown by just over 3% in the last decade. Upper Sandusky saw about a 2.5% population decrease over the decade. Sycamore saw a 5.5% decrease, and Carey saw a 3.3% decrease. Carey's trend line was different than most — its population decreased from 2011 to 2016, then a small spike brought it back up in 2017. After that, the decrease continued.