Population in county is down

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
Weston County’s population continues to decline, according to an April 18 report from the Economic Analysis Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information. 
Weston County joins 12 other counties in the state who experienced a decrease in population from July 2017 to July 2018. The state as a whole lost 1,197 residents or 0.2 percent in the same period, making the state’s population 477,737. 
According to the report, Weston County’s population on July 1, 2018, was estimated at 6,967, down 0.3 percent, or 19 individuals, from the same time the previous year. 
The report states that since 2010, Weston County has lost 241 residents or 3.3 percent of its population. Over the years, the population has fluctuated, but overall the county lost the 241 residents, when comparing 2010 to 2018. 
“Employment drives migration change, particularly for young adults,” said Amy Bittner, Senior Economist with the State of Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. “People tend to move to areas where jobs are available. Conversely, people may leave areas where employment opportunities become limited.” 
In February, Weston County’s unemployment rate had fallen to 3.3 percent, according to an April 2 report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Service Research and Planning, which Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the State of Wyoming Economic Analysis Division, says could play a role in population loss. 
“With the unemployment rate holding steady at around 4 percent (statewide), the labor market is definitely tight,” Liu said. 
Looking at a breakdown of the components of the population change shows that most of the population loss in Weston County came from migration and was not due to natural change (births and deaths). 
According to the report, out of the 19 people who left the county between July 2017 and July 2018, two were the result of natural change, while 18 people left because of migration. The report states that 66 births occurred and 68 individuals died in the same time period. 
Weston County gained 30 individuals from “net international migration,” which the report states includes the international migration of both native and foreign-born population. Specifically, it includes “the net international migration of the foreign born, the net migration between the United States and Puerto Rico, the net migration of natives to and from the United States and the net movement of the Armed Forces population between the United States and overseas.” Net domestic migration accounts for 48 individuals leaving the county. 
Net domestic migration has been the biggest population loss sector for Weston County over the past seven years, with a total of 444 people migrating away from the county and 125 people coming to the county as part of the net international migration. 
Over the same seven years, Weston County has seen 638 births and 563 deaths, for a natural change of 75 people.