Report: Harrisonburg’s Growth Steady
Estimates Show No Major Jump From 2011 To July 2012
Posted: January 26, 2013
HARRISONBURG — Harrisonburg’s population continues to grow at a steady pace.
The Friendly City had 50,862 residents as of July 1, an increase of 805 people compared to the previous year, according to annual estimates released Friday by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
Rockingham County, meanwhile, saw its population grow to 77,551, up 254 residents from 2011.
Since the 2010 census, Virginia’s population has grown by 2.3 percent to nearly 8.2 million, outpacing the 1.7 percent growth experienced by the entire United States.
During that time, Harrisonburg’s ranks increased by more than 3.9 percent, and it is among the fastest-growing localities in the commonwealth, according to Weldon Cooper’s estimates.
Other independent cities seeing higher-than-average growth include Covington, Winchester, Charlottesville and Staunton.
The Harrisonburg metro area, which includes the city and Rockingham County, grew to 128,413 as of July 1, up 0.8 percent from July 2011.
From the 2010 census to July, the metro area grew at a rate of nearly 2.5 percent, just above the state rate.
Not surprisingly, metro areas with low unemployment tend to have higher growth. The Harrisonburg metro area’s jobless rate was 5.2 percent in November, among the lowest in the state and well below the national average that month of 7.8 percent.
Stacy Turner, director of community development for the city of Harrisonburg, said employment opportunities drive population growth.
In years past, expansion at James Madison University has contributed to major growth in the city, but President Jonathan Alger has indicated the university reached a plateau.
Regardless, Turner said, Harrisonburg’s population won’t be flat.
“We’ll continue to grow, but if [JMU] truly [does] not grow, it will probably be at a lesser rate than we’ve had in the past,” she said.
Between the 2010 census and Weldon Cooper’s estimate for July 1, 2011, Rockingham County added nearly 1,000 residents. That compares to the 254 new residents from 2011’s estimate to 2012.
County Administrator Joe Paxton said the drop-off in the growth rate is not a cause for concern.
“I think it’s an acknowledgment … that the economy hasn’t come back,” he said. “And the building industry in our area didn’t slow down as fast as it did in other areas, but it doesn’t speed up as fast as it does in other areas.”
Other Shenandoah Valley communities also saw population growth from 2011 to July 1: Page County added 60 residents for a total population of 24,215; Shenandoah County grew by nearly 700 people to 42,812; and Augusta County grew by 23 people to 73,815.
Contact Jeremy Hunt at 574-6273 or jhunt@dnronline.com
The Friendly City had 50,862 residents as of July 1, an increase of 805 people compared to the previous year, according to annual estimates released Friday by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
Rockingham County, meanwhile, saw its population grow to 77,551, up 254 residents from 2011.
Since the 2010 census, Virginia’s population has grown by 2.3 percent to nearly 8.2 million, outpacing the 1.7 percent growth experienced by the entire United States.
During that time, Harrisonburg’s ranks increased by more than 3.9 percent, and it is among the fastest-growing localities in the commonwealth, according to Weldon Cooper’s estimates.
Other independent cities seeing higher-than-average growth include Covington, Winchester, Charlottesville and Staunton.
The Harrisonburg metro area, which includes the city and Rockingham County, grew to 128,413 as of July 1, up 0.8 percent from July 2011.
From the 2010 census to July, the metro area grew at a rate of nearly 2.5 percent, just above the state rate.
Not surprisingly, metro areas with low unemployment tend to have higher growth. The Harrisonburg metro area’s jobless rate was 5.2 percent in November, among the lowest in the state and well below the national average that month of 7.8 percent.
Stacy Turner, director of community development for the city of Harrisonburg, said employment opportunities drive population growth.
In years past, expansion at James Madison University has contributed to major growth in the city, but President Jonathan Alger has indicated the university reached a plateau.
Regardless, Turner said, Harrisonburg’s population won’t be flat.
“We’ll continue to grow, but if [JMU] truly [does] not grow, it will probably be at a lesser rate than we’ve had in the past,” she said.
Between the 2010 census and Weldon Cooper’s estimate for July 1, 2011, Rockingham County added nearly 1,000 residents. That compares to the 254 new residents from 2011’s estimate to 2012.
County Administrator Joe Paxton said the drop-off in the growth rate is not a cause for concern.
“I think it’s an acknowledgment … that the economy hasn’t come back,” he said. “And the building industry in our area didn’t slow down as fast as it did in other areas, but it doesn’t speed up as fast as it does in other areas.”
Other Shenandoah Valley communities also saw population growth from 2011 to July 1: Page County added 60 residents for a total population of 24,215; Shenandoah County grew by nearly 700 people to 42,812; and Augusta County grew by 23 people to 73,815.
Contact Jeremy Hunt at 574-6273 or jhunt@dnronline.com