Cameron County –– home to the least amount of residents in Pennsylvania –– suffered the largest percentage of population loss in recent years compared to other counties across the state.
The Center For Rural Pennsylvania legislative agency recently reported that the county, which has an estimated 4,592 people as of July 2017, saw a 9.7 percent decline from 2010 to 2017.
“A big percentage of a small number is a small number,” said Cliff Clark, director of Cameron County Community and Economic Development.
“Cameron County’s population decline is unfortunately real, but it is not any different or for any other reason than most rural areas,” he said.
He attributed the drop in population to deaths exceeding births, technology replacing workers, as well as the weather and the availability of jobs.
Tina Johns Solak, executive director of the Cameron County Chamber of Commerce, who feels the county is misreported with its small population, said many reasons for people leaving are perception and not based on reality. Those include low wages, distance to receive services like a hospital, higher education and shopping.
“For years the Discover Project has brought people on board willing to help with recruitment for the numerous jobs available,” she said. “Very few employers have used the services. It is imperative to bring job seekers to the region so they can see how far their dollar will stretch living here vs other parts of the state.”
She pointed out that the time to travel to a hospital is 18 miles, comparable to other areas; in addition, college-bound students can be at a Penn State branch campus in 90 minutes and many classes can be taken in Emporium through the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College.
The population percentage change results do not come as a surprise to officials at The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, said agency spokeswoman Christine Caldara Piatos.
She said, overall, rural Pennsylvania has experienced a slow population growth.
“That growth also has tended to be uneven, with counties in the western part of the state, like Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter, losing population due to fewer births, more deaths and fewer people moving into the counties than moving out,” Piatos said.
But Clark said, although the figures may indeed be accurate, they are estimates. He said that the 2020 census is an actual headcount.
Elsewhere across the region, Elk County saw a 5.5 percent decline; McKean County, a 4.9 percent decline; and Potter County, 3.8 percent decline, according to information compiled by The Center For Rural Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, southeast Pennsylvania experienced a population increase with Philadelphia County seeing a 3.6 increase and Dauphin County, where Harrisburg is located, a 2.8 percent increase.
The only county near the four-county region to see an increase is Centre County, with 5.6 percent.
Projections from 2010 to 2040 show the state’s rural population increasing by about 146,914, or 4 percent, while the urban population is forecast to increase by 1.27 million, or 14 percent, according to information from Piatos.
What’s more, from 2010 to 2040, 30 rural counties are projected to get a boost in population with the assistance of in-migration, she said.
In the meantime, the Cameron County Chamber of Commerce is continuing to promote the virtues of the county, such as quality of life, small class sizes, safe streets, affordable living and outdoor recreation, Solak said.
“There are a number of organizations in the County and region working to attract residents or keep them, young people in particular, from leaving including getting students interested in manufacturing careers, event coordination, and tourist promotion,” Clark said.
