LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Just released census data shows a slowly growing commonwealth, though within the state some counties are booming. The U.S. Census Bureau said the other key takeaway is the country’s growing diversity.
After months of delays because of the pandemic, the 2020 count is in, with few surprises in Kentucky for experts like Dr. Matthew Ruther with the Kentucky State Data Center.
"We're not an outlier in losing people, we're sort of just more moderate growth,” Ruther said.
The U.S. population overall grew 7.4%. Kentucky only grew 3.8%.
Jefferson County grew at a slightly higher rate (5.7%), though it was eclipsed by suburban areas (Bullitt County 10.6%, Shelby County 14.2%, Oldham County, 12.1%).
Dr. Dewey Clayton, a political science professor at UofL, said it is a nationwide trend.
"They're voting with their feet. They're going to move where there is activity and the ability to make a decent dollar,” Clayton said of younger people moving to surrounding suburban counties.
Growing diversity was another big trend. The non-Hispanic white population shrank overall for the first time.
In Kentucky, that population makes up 82.%, and for Louisville it's 63.8%, down slightly from 2010 according to Ruther.
"Relative to the rest of the country it's one of the lesser diverse places,” he said of Kentucky.
Census data are used to direct billions of dollars in federal funds and in the redistricting process.
Soon, state and local governments will put the data to work, redrawing legislative lines.
"I think it's the beginning of a change," Clayton said. "I don't want to be too optimistic, I don't see any huge changes any time soon, but there is some movement."
Kentucky's politics may not shift entirely, but Ruther expects district lines will change some, to make up for shrinking populations in the east and west of the state.
"While the districts in the center apart of the state are going to get smaller so it's going to concentrate influence more within the center,” Ruther said.
In Louisville, a Metro Council committee is in charge of the redistricting process for council lines. The process began late last month.
The census bureau will release more data later next year, including a more in-depth count of populations by age, sex and race.
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