Nebraska's rural communities continue to lose population, while its metro areas continue to grow.
Nebraska's rural communities continue to lose population, while its metro areas continue to grow.
David Drozd with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Center for Public Affairs Research notes that 64 Nebraska counties lost population last year...though he points out that's better than previously when 79 counties lost population.
David Drozd, University of Nebraska-Omaha Center for Public Affairs Research; "to be a struggle"
About half the state's counties experienced more deaths than births.
Nebraska has another metropolitan area.
Grand Island officially joins Omaha, Lincoln and the Sioux City area as Nebraska metro areas.
Researcher David Drozd with the University of Nebraska-Omaha says that while the metro areas of Nebraska keep growing, much of the rural areas continue to shrink. Drozd says the disparity is apparent in the growth of Douglas, Sarpy and Lancaster Counties last year. . .
Drozd; "largest metro area"
Two-thirds of the state's counties have lost populations.
Rural Nebraska continues to lose population while urban Nebraska continues to gain population.
University of Nebraska-Omaha researcher David Drozd says that in 2012, 64 counties lost population. Some have experience a natural population decline. . .
Drozd; "exceeding births"
Both Omaha and Lincoln grew last year. Grand Island officially became a metropolitan area last year.
(image courtesy of stock.xchng)
(courtesy of Nebraska Radio Network)
