The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-02-13
Census Bulletin Shows Growing
Prosperity Of Cities of
Less than 1000
COMPARE EAST AND WEST
The Population in rldnu Counties Has
Grown fIOrc Rapidly During the Last
Decade 0S Shown bu Figures from
tve Records.

WASHINGTON. D. c. Feb. 10
The director of the census has
made the following statement in
regard TO the increase of popula-
ton of places of less than 1000
inhabitants east and west of the
Mississippi River and the coun-
ties which have decreased in
population:
The increase Of population in
the States east of the Mississippi
River was 1877 between 1880 and
1890 and 1872 between 1890 and
1900. In the same area the IN
crease in urban population, mean
ing thereby all places of more
than 1000 inhabitants, was 53. !
per cent between 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 been growing
more rapidly in the last ten years
than in the preceding decade.
Such is the fact. Between 1880
and 1890 the population east of
the Mississippi, and excluding
places of more than 1000. in
creased 4.9 per cent. but between
1890 and 1900 8 z per cent.
To throw further light upon
this increased prosperity of the
small towns during the last ten
years study has been made by
the census Office of those com-
ties which actually decreased IN
population at either decade, af-
ter making allowance for chang.
es in county boundaries. Coun-
ties of this class are predomi-
nantly agricultural and usually
have lost through migration to
more favored localities the nat
ural increase of their population
by excess of births over deaths.
Between 1880 and 1890 the
counties east of the Mississippi
which lost population extended
over an area of Isl, ,202 square
miles, or nearly as great as New
England, New York, and Penn
sylvania. This was about one
sixth az per cent? of the total
area east of the Mississippi Riv-
er.
Between 1890. and 1900 the
counties east of the Mississippi
River which population extend
ed over an area of 80, ,218 square
miles. This is only about one
sixth (10.6 per cent? of the total
area east of the Mississippi. The
figures show that in this part of
of the country an area almost
equal 10 that of New England
lost population between 1880 and
1890, but gained between 1890
and 1900.
West of the Mississippi the
changes were in the reverse di-
rectiOn-that IS, the area losing
population was slightly larger
between 1890 and 1900 than it
was between 1880 and 1890 (334,
862 square miles, as compared
with 2O6, 958 square miles, But
In the country as a whole the
area of counties losing population
was over 80, 600 square miles less
in the last decade than it was be-
tween 1880 and 1890.
To show the influence of this
change, the per cent of the total
area as defined by county lines
which shows a loss of population
has been computed, occasional
corrections being made for the
changes in county boundaries
In the North Atlantic group
the per cent of county area les
ing population between 1880 and
1890 was 26.6; between 1900 and
1900, 21.9 The corresponding
figures for the other groups
were: South Atlantic, 1880 1890,
11.6 per cent; 1890 1900. 6.3 per
cent. North Central, 18s0-1890,