Columbia and Marion County have seen a significant decrease in population since the 2010 census with the city dropping 8 percent and the county 7 percent over the seven-year period.
In April 2010, when the last full census was completed, Columbia had 6,582 residents; in 2017, it had 6,037.
Likewise, Marion County dropped from 27,088 in 2010 to 25,069 residents in 2017.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the results. To get its estimate, the bureau subtracts the number of people born in a place from the number who died. Then, it takes the last two years of federal income tax returns and checks for address changes. It uses that to find people who moved from one county or state to another. Other factors such as people living in communal settings like prisons and dormitories are also thrown into the mix.
The next full census, where an actual count is made rather than estimates, is in 2020.
The numbers concern local officials for a variety of reasons.
“We need something to draw people here,” Marion County Board of Supervisors President Randy Dyess said. “We’ve got to do something with economic development; we can’t let it die.”
Dyess acknowledged work being done to expand the Columbia-Marion County Airport runway could help.
“We’ve got to have some vision and look toward the future,” he said. “If the population is going down, we’re losing tax base. The decrease was not what we wanted to hear. We need to work toward economic development to stem the tide of people leaving the county.”
Dyess said developing properties at the Marion County BusinessPlex could help the local economy and population.
“People love that property,” he said. “They say we’re sitting on a gold mine just waiting for people to develop it. We’ve got to do something to draw people. Our kids are graduating from high school, going off to college and they don’t come back. They can’t make a living here.”
Lori Watts, president of the Marion County Development Partnership, said the data is troubling.
“It is worrisome in all facets of the economy,” she said. “It affects our workforce, our tax base and education system. We didn’t want to lose population. It is very important to economic development that our population and economy are growing. It’s all tied together.”
Watts said a variety of factors could help grow Marion County’s population and attract industry or businesses.
“Workforce development and availability are important,” she said. “Availability of workforce is becoming a key factor in a company’s decision to locate somewhere. As unemployment drops, they want to know they have enough people to fill the jobs. These areas also work at talent attraction and growing the workforce with skilled people. There is a change in the economy – technology has changed the workforce. For example, 50 years ago people would move to a town for the jobs, now the trend is to find somewhere to live and then find a workplace. Marion County’s challenge is to be that place where people want to live, play and work. Community development is necessary to attract that talent.”
Watts said current happenings downtown can be a key component.
“A vibrant downtown mirrors a good quality of life location,” she said. “It’s very exciting the activity that we’re seeing in downtown Columbia. It could help. It’s like seeing the first spark. Seeing revitalization in the downtown area says there is interest in investment in the community. Revitalization attracts a younger professional workforce.”
Watts said city and county officials want to turn the tide in the battle of “brain drain versus brain gain.”
“We actually had some good statistics in that we increased our 35-39-year-old population. That’s really good,” she said. “This means young families putting effort into the schools. It’s a good statistic for us. That will contribute to future growth.”
Watts said she is hopeful of an upturn in things locally that can lead to population growth.
“Columbia has always been resilient,” she said. “We were one of the first places to balance industry with agriculture. I’m confident that Columbia and Marion County can adjust again. I’m confident that we are headed in the right direction to reverse that trend.”
