Idahoans leaving state's rural areas

They’re movin’ on up.

More rural counties in Idaho saw residents migrating out of their areas between 2008 and 2009 than have been reported a decade, according to estimates this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Most relocated to more urban centers in the state.

“I think the opportunities to do different, bigger, better-paying kinds of things are probably viewed as greater in urban areas than in rural areas,” said Bob Fick, spokesman for the Idaho Department of Labor. “Simply because urban areas have a greater ability to expand.”

Roughly 3,200 more people moved out than moved in of 23 rural counties between June 2008 and June 2009.

It’s the largest number of counties recording outmigration since between mid-2000 and mid-2001, when 26 of Idaho’s 44 counties saw an exodus.

The pattern has left its mark on rural areas.

Thirteen of those rural counties posted population declines over that period, ranging from a meager loss of 11 in Clark County in eastern Idaho to a decline of 323 residents in Elmore County, which borders Ada County to the east.

Only four counties saw population declines the year before.

“It’s a problem,” Fick said, adding that the Idaho Department of Labor will be holding a conference in May on revitalizing rural areas. “And it’s a problem exacerbated when you lose a lot of core economic drivers.”

Counties suffering heavier population losses included Boise County, just north and east of Ada County, which had a population decrease of 120, and Benewah County, that had a reduction of 125.

Bonner County’s population dropped by 83.

Fick said many population declines were probably due to losing large employers in those areas.

“(Outmigration from) Benewah and Bonner would all be an effect of the economy. I assume there were mills that closed in (both) counties,” Fick said. “Take major employers like that out of the local economy, and prospects don’t look very bright.”

The outmigration is also in line with a 20-year trend of rural residents relocating to urban centers to pursue better opportunities, he said.

“In times of growth, there’s potential for many things to occur in urban areas, which typically feel the stronger growth,” he said. “There’s more limitation on the opportunities in rural areas.”

So it was not surprising that the state’s largest counties saw population growth between 2008 and 2009, he said.

Ada County, the state’s biggest county, experienced a 29-percent uptick. The next largest county, Canyon County, which borders Ada to the west, saw 13.6 percent growth.

Kootenai County’s population jumped 13 percent.

IDOL Regional Economist Alivia Body attributed the growth to employment opportunities in Kootenai County.

Fick isn’t worried that Idaho’s rural areas will be drained any time soon.

He pointed out that even with the outmigration, much of the state is still rural.

“A third of the state’s population is in rural Idaho, so 3,200 out of 500,000 isn’t a significant number,” he said.

Plus, in 10 of the counties that saw residents exiting between ‘08 and ‘09, the losses were offset by natural population growth, or births exceeding deaths.

Overall in 2009, Idaho’s population increased by nearly 19,000, the 12th strongest among all 50 states.

Bibiana Nertney, spokeswoman for the Idaho Commerce Department, said rural counties can make their areas more appealing by taking advantage of grants like those offered by the federal government for community development.

“If smaller, rural communities can keep their infrastructure strong, that helps the economic vitality and increases the possibility of bringing more jobs into the area,” Nertney said. “It’s all about jobs.”