Recent U.S. Census statistics do not bode well for Warren County. According to 2023 numbers, all 21 townships, five boroughs and the city of Warren saw a decrease in population when compared to 2020 numbers.

Last month, the Census released its latest information. The number of residents who live in the was 37,572 in 2023. That is down from 37,818 in 2022 and 38,585 in 2020. Over the four-year span, the decrease is 2.6%

City population is falling a bit quicker at 2.9% over that same time period. In 2020, the number of residents totaled 9,400 and fell to 9,125 in 2023.

Other notable reductions were seen in the larger boroughs and townships with the 2020 figure followed by the 2023 number. Those include:

— Sheffield, 1,849 to 1,791 — 3.1%

— Youngsville, 1,730 to 1,679 — a decrease of 2.9%

— Conewango, 3,427 to 3,350 — 2.2%

— Pine Grove, 2,599 to 2,539 — 2.3%

— Pleasant, 2,250 to 2,200 — 2.3%

These declines touch on major issues that face the county school board as well as business and industry that are dealing with a shortage in the workforce.

Overall, the Census Bureau noted that while 39% of the country’s population lived in cities of 50,000 or more, the United States remained a nation of mostly smaller communities. Of approximately 19,500 incorporated places, about 75% had fewer than 5,000 people in 2023 and nearly 33% had fewer than 500.

On average, these small towns experienced uneven population change across the U.S. regions. In particular, small towns in the Midwest and Northeast experienced lower rates of decline in 2023, decreasing by an average of 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively, compared to 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively, in 2022.

Additionally, cities with populations of 50,000 or more grew by an average of 0.2% in the Northeast and 0.1% in the Midwest after declining an average of 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively, in 2022. Those in the West went up by an average of 0.2% from 2022 to 2023. Cities in the South grew the fastest – by an average 1.0%.

“The population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “Thirteen of the 15 fastest-growing cities were in the South, with eight in Texas alone.”