Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-02-24
ANALYSIS OF CENSUS REPORT.
Marked Changes in Iowa and Illinois
in Two Decades.

Marked Changes in Iowa and ILLINOIS
in Two Decades.
The director of the census at Wash
ington made the following statement
in regard to the increase OF popula-
ton of places less than 1000 'nnaplt-
ants, east and west Of the MISSISSIPPI
river and the counties which have de-
creased in population. The increase
of people in the states east OF the
Mississippi river was 1877 per cent be-
tween 1880 and 1890, and 1872 between
1890 and 1900 In the same area the
increases in urban population, mean
ing thereby all places OF more than
1000 inhabitants, was OBJ per cent pc
tween 1880 and 1890 and only 37.2 per
cent between 1890 and 1900. Both OF
these statements could not be true,
unless the population OF places having
less than 1000 inhabitants had Deen
growing more rapidly in the last lO
years than in the preceding decade.
Such is the fact. Between 1880 ana
1890 the population east OF the Mis-
sissfppi and excluding places OF more
than 1000 increased 40 per cent, but
between 1890 and 1900, 8.7 per cent.
TO throw further light upon this in
creased prosperity of the small towns
during the last 10 years, a study has
been made by the census Office OF
those counties which actually de-
creased in population at either decade,
after making allowance for changes In
county boundaries. Counties OF this
class are predominantly agricultural,
and usually have lost through migra-
ton to more favored localities the
natural increase OF their population by
excuses of births over deaths. Be-
tween 1880 and 1890 the counties east
of the Mississippi which lost popula-
ton extended over an area OF ,2O2
square miles, or nearly as great as
New England, New York and Pcnnsyl
vania This was about onesixth OFT
per cent? of the total area east OF the
Mississippi river. Between 1890 and
1900 the counties east of the Missis-
sippi river which lost population eX-
tended over an area of 9O,21S square
miles This is only about ore-tenth
QO.6 per cent? of the total area east
of the Mississippi. The figures snow
that in this part of the country an
area almost equal to that of New Eng
land lost population between 1880 and
1890, but gained between 1890 and
1900.
West of the Mississippi the changes
were in the reverse direction, that is,
the area losing population was slightly
larger between 1890 and 1900 than it
was between 1880 and 1890 (234,S62
square miles. as compared with 2O8,-
956 square miles,. But in the country
as a whole the area of. counties losing
population was over 10000 square
miles less in the last decade than it
was between 1880 and 1890 70 show
the influence Of this change the per
cent of local area, as defined by county
lines, which shows loss of popula-
ton has been computed, occasional
corrections being made for the changes
in county boundaries. In the north
Atlantic group the per cent of country
area losing population between 1880
and 1890 was 26.8 per cent, between
1890 and 1900. 21.9 per cent. The cor
responding figures for the other
groups were: South Atlantic, 1SSO-90,
11.6 per cent; 189O-19OO, 6.3 per cent;
north central, $4,000, 12.1 per cent;
1890-1900, 1911 per cent; south central,
$4,000, 81 per cent; 1S90-1900, AS per
cent; western division, $4,000, 1928
per cent; 1S9O-19O0, SO per cent.
These figures show that in four of
the five divisions, all except the north
central the increase of population was
more widespread and genera! in the
last decade than it was between 1880
and 1890. If the north central division