State’s population grows 9%

New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that more Arkansas cities and towns lost population than gained population from 2002 to 2012.

Pine Bluff saw the greatest decline of the 308 cities and towns statewide that lost population over the 10-year period. Census estimates show that the number of residents living in Pine Bluff fell by 6,817 to give the city a population of 47,035 in 2012.

Springdale led the 194 cities that gained population, adding 21,157 residents over 10 years to reach a population of 73,123 in 2012.

“Population growth follows economic prosperity and job opportunities,” said Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

In 10 years, Arkansas saw its population grow by 9 percent, with 78 percent of the growth occurring in cities and towns.

Cities that saw substantial population growth from 2002 to 2012 are those located in the state’s metropolitan areas, which have seen the most economic success, Deck said.

Four of the top five citiesfor growth are in Northwest Arkansas: Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Fayetteville. Conway is in part of the metropolitan area surrounding Little Rock.

“It’s a virtuous kind of cycle,” Deck said. “Northwest has been in its growth phase because it has these core successful industries.”

Not only is Northwest Arkansas home to the global headquarters of three Fortune 500 companies, J.B. Hunt, Tyson and Wal-Mart, but many of the vendors to those companies are also partof other Fortune 500 companies, Deck said.

The presence of those companies drives demand for lawyers, accountants, architects, hotels, restaurants and retailers, she said.

JOB GROWTH

Springdale’s population growth has also meant growth of jobs, Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse said.

“We’re producing more jobs than anyone in the state by a pretty good number,” he said. “Northwest Arkansas has grown as a whole. It looks like it’s going to continue.”

Springdale produced 9,178 jobs from March 2003 to March 2013, the most jobs created in any other city in Arkansas, according to local area unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bentonville ranked second, producing 6,342 jobs during that same time period.

“We’ve got quite a lot of industry,” Sprouse said.

Springdale School District, the second largest district in the state, has added teachers to accommodate growing numbers of students, Sprouse said.

Though he intends to keep city government lean, the increase in residents creates a need for expanded city services, Sprouse said. Three new fire stations are under construction in Springdale. Springdale residents approved a bond issue, allowing the city to spend $40 million on additional roads and an interchange.

“We’re adding about 200 acres of parks,” he said. “You never catch up.”METRO AREAS

In Central Arkansas, growth follows a pattern typical for large metro areas, with the fastest growing cities, including Conway, Benton and Cabot, located in the outlying suburban areas, said Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster. The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area is unlike many other metro areas in that the primary central city continues to grow instead of losing net population to the suburbs.

“As for the cities losing population, many are located in the nonmetropolitan areas of the state where the regional trend is one of declining population,” Pakko said. “The shift away from the smaller cities toward larger metropolitan areas has been ongoing for at least three decades, with the general trend toward urbanization dating back even further.”

Although Pine Bluff is among the state’s larger cities, the Jefferson County city has seen its population decline with job losses since about 1980, Deck said.

“It’s hard to stop it and turn it around,” Deck said.

Manufacturing and agriculture have been the dominant industries in Pine Bluff for decades but advances in technology mean those industries need fewer workers, Deck said.

“They’ve had a hard time figuring out what to replace those jobs with,” she said.

DEVELOPMENT

In Pine Bluff, Allied Tube & Conduit closed a manufacturing facility in 2008, which put 226 employees out of work. In 2010, the Pine Bluff ChemicalAgent Disposal Facility announced a two-year layoff of 1,100 workers with the completion of its mission.

The disposal complex was built inside the Pine Bluff Arsenal in 2002 and began operations in 2005 as part of an international effort to eradicate chemical weapons.

Businesses struggled in Pine Bluff with the losses of so many jobs and with the national recession that occurred between 2007 and 2009, but the economy is improving, said Lou Ann Nisbett, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County.

Two years ago, Jefferson County voters, including those in Pine Bluff, passed a threeeighths percent sales tax to spur economic development, Nisbett said. Jefferson County officials provided incentives that helped to lure two new employers to Pine Bluff, Horizon Foods, an employer of 175 workers, and Vivione Biosciences.

Vivione Biosciences is a biotechnology company that employs a half-dozen workers in science and technology in Pine Bluff, said Ted Moskal, president and chief science officer.

“In the middle of a recession, in an area of high poverty, miracles happen,” Nisbett said. “People are rolling up their sleeves and working together.”

Pine Bluff also has some new commercial and residential development taking place, she said.

“A lot of positive things are happening,” Nisbett said. “We probably haven’t seen this much development in several years.”

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 13 on 05/26/2013

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