UPDATE: US CENSUS NUMBERS SHOW CALHOUN WITH HUGE POPULATION DROP - County Schools/Services Impacted

(11/02/2021)

By Bob Weaver According to the US Census Bureau QuickFacts, Calhoun County now has a 2020 population of 6,229, a drop from 7,627 in 2010. Calhoun's population has been declining since 1940, at that time the census was 12,455 Grantsville's census in 2010 with 561 people, now at 497 in 2020. The US Census Bureau announced earlier this year that Calhoun lost 18.3% population among the 55 counties. Calhoun was among three counties with greatest loss of population. Calhoun has lost half of its population since 1940, when huge farm families started leaving after World War II to get the industrial jobs that barely came to most rural WV counties. Most dramatically affected, the Calhoun tax coffers, which already has some of the lowest tax rates in the eastern US. Directly affected are the already limited services that Calhoun provides to citizens. Also the Calhoun school system loses, which is funded by a a longtime school funding formula based on student enrollment, the enrollment majorly dropping in the past 25 years. Calhoun has lost about 900 students since the 1990s. Calhoun Commissioner Kevin Helmick, who has a degree in business administration, said, "The county budget has caused head scratching and sleepless nights," facing worsening challenges every year.

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