STEADY DECLINE

    REGIONAL -- Shelby County’s population has decreased for another consecutive year since 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimates, but hopes are that efforts to attract business and develop affordable housing will reverse that trend in the near future.
    The population has fallen from 11,927 to 11,800. This loss was a steady trickle of 127 people in the past year.
    With a loss in population, communities can see an impact.
     The impact, according to Executive Director of Shelby County Chamber of Commerce & Industry Todd Valline,  is not as major as it could have been if large employers had left.
    Still, the loss induces strain within the community. One of the ways this loss hits Shelby County is through the school districts. Schools receive per-pupil funding in Iowa.