CENSUS Population in area's counties decreases in 2004

Loudoun County in Virginia is the fastest growing county in the United States.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Booming Delaware County in central Ohio, awash in new retail construction and subdivisions, remains one of the country's fastest growing counties, U.S. Census records show.
The county north of Columbus grew 27.5 percent from 2000 to 2004, to 142,503 residents, the 10th fastest growing county in the United States, according to the census figures released Thursday.
It also grew 5 percent from 2003 to 2004, the 35th fastest growing county nationally over the one-year period, according to the census.
In the Mahoning Valley, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties all showed population losses from 2000 to 2004. Mahoning lost 7,800 people or 3 percent; Trumbull lost 4,630 or 2.1 percent and Columbiana lost 556 or .05 percent.
In nearby western Pennsylvania, Lawrence County lost 1,269 people or 1.3 percent and Mercer County lost 496 or .04 percent.
Loudoun County in Virginia, with a population of 239,156, grew 37.5 percent from 2000 to 2004, fastest of any county in the United States.
Mix of suburbs
Delaware County, a mix of suburbs, farmland and the city of Delaware, is also home to eight townships that were among the top 10 fastest growing areas in the state last year.
The county's Olentangy school district is considered one of the state's fastest growing, adding about 1,000 students a year.
Cuyahoga County lost 41,131 residents from 2000 to 2004, a 3 percent drop, the biggest drop in individuals of any Ohio county.
Paulding County in northwest Ohio lost 3.7 percent of its residents, or 748 people, the sharpest percentage decline of any Ohio county.