WINNEMUCCA - Mining and related activities were the primary drivers of the moderate population growth that Lander, Humboldt and Pershing counties experienced from 2010 to 2011, according to Nevada State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle.
Sustained gold prices have helped provide a "better base" for population growth in northern Nevada, Hardcastle said, and an increase in mining-related employment brings with it a multiplier effect, which can lead to even more job creation. Employment in Nevada's mining industry bottomed out in 2003, he said, but "it's been coming back up since."
Humboldt County's population was 17,135 as of July 1, 2011, an increase of 607 residents over the April 1, 2010, census number of 16,528, according to new estimates released by the state demographer. The new numbers show Winnemucca grew from 7,396 people in April 2010 to 7,839 as of July 1, 2011, an additional 443 residents.
Winnemucca City Manager Steve West said he expects the growth trend to continue over the next few years with current and planned mining activity. The influx of new residents has not taxed city services like in other communities.
"It's been a fairly manageable, reasonable growth rate that we can keep ahead of," West said.
Lander County's population was 5,988 as of July 1, 2011, an increase over the April 2010 census figure of 5,775. Battle Mountain gained 510 people from April 2010 to July 2011. The estimated population in July 2011 was 3,326, up from 2,816 in 2010. But because Battle Mountain is unincorporated, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact number of people who reside in town versus in the county. The July 1, 2011, population estimate for Austin was 171, which was down from the April 2010 census estimate of 301 residents. Tiny Kingston also lost residents, dropping from 316 in April 2010 to 125 in July 2011.
Pershing County grew from 6,753 people in 2010 to 6,847 in 2011, an increase of 1.4 percent, or 94 people. Lovelock's estimated population was 2,171 on July 1, 2011, up from the census figure of 1,894 in April 2010. That represents a growth spurt in the city of 14.6 percent, or 277 people. The burg of Imlay lost residents, according to the demographer's estimate. In April 2010, the census tally stood at 233 residents but had dropped to 160 as of July 2011.
While the gold-mining industry in Nevada continues to shine, other sectors of Nevada's economy are not doing as well. The financial sector, construction, manufacturing and retail continue to shed jobs, said Hardcastle, who works for the University of Nevada, Reno. The loss of such jobs is probably one reason Washoe County did not keep pace with rural counties, losing an estimated 925 people, or 0.2 percent.
The rural counties generally fared the best, with those in northwest Nevada, including Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties, experiencing slight increases in population.
The state gained an estimated 17,152 people, or 0.6 percent, from 2010 to 2011, which is about equal to the increase of 0.7 percent in the prior year. Two years ago, the state lost 27,677 people, a decrease of about 1 percent.
"Just as other economic indicators are showing, we're sort of leveling off," Hardcastle said. "The data doesn't support that large numbers of people are moving out of the state at this time. And, if some are moving out, we are having enough people move into the state or having enough children to offset those moving out."
Hardcastle said that the slight growth is about equal to what we see due to natural population increase, or births, in a given year.[[In-content Ad]]
