Daily News file photo. The February 2006 closure of Tyson Fresh Meats in Norfolk is showing its impact in population. The Norfolk micro had the largest population decline from 2006 to 2007 among all 576 micros nationwide.

Norfolk Daily News

Thursday – March 27, 2008

The U.S. Census Bureau knows how to add insult to injury.

Last week, new census numbers indicated that the Norfolk micropolitan area — made up of Pierce, Stanton and Madison counties — had declined considerably from 2000 to July 1, 2007.

Much of the decline came from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007, as the impact of the closing of the Tyson Fresh Meats packing plant in Norfolk was fully realized.

About 1,300 jobs were lost when the plant closed.

This week, the census bureau has made additional analysis of the new numbers available, said David Drozd of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research.

The analysis, for example, compares the 576 separate micropolitan areas in the United States. They’re defined as non-metro areas with a city of 10,000 or more people.

“This data shows that the Norfolk micro had the largest population decline from 2006 to 2007, on both a total number and percentage basis, among all 576 micros nationwide,” Drozd said. “That helps put some scope on the changes, and the impact of the plant closing.”

Almost all of the three-county population change was due to net outmigration. A positive natural population increase — which occurs when the number of births exceeds the number of deaths — helped soften the population decline as 252 persons were gained during that period, Drozd said.

“The overall population loss reduced Norfolk from being the 238th largest micro to 255th,” he added.

Drozd said it’s possible that the migration shifts that occurred in Norfolk translated into a population increase for Columbus and Platte County.

That micropolitan area had the best percentage change from 2006-07 among Nebraska’s 10 micropolitan areas at 1.4 percent. This gave Platte County the 91st best one-year change among the 576 micropolitan areas in the United States, he added.