CENSUS INDICATES GROWTH

The population of the 8th Congressional District in Southeast Missouri grew by 40,173 from April 1990 to July 1999, U.S. Census Bureau estimates show.

The Census Bureau released its latest estimate at the end of August. The bureau estimated 608,558 people lived in the 8th District as of July 1, 1999.

Cape Girardeau County had the second-highest population increase among the 26 counties in the congressional district. The county's population grew by 5,567 people, second only to St. Francois County, which grew by 6,886 people.

Cape Girardeau County remained the largest county in the district with a population of 67,200. St. Francois was second with 55,790, according to the census data.

Five of the counties experienced population decreases. Mississippi County's population dropped by 1,103 people, the most among any of the counties. New Madrid County experienced a drop of 995 people. Pemiscot, Dunklin and Reynolds counties also showed declines, the Census Bureau said.

Local business leaders said the numbers look good for Cape Girardeau County, but they cautioned that the figures are estimates.

The numbers are based on the 1990 census figures. The Census Bureau then used estimates of births, deaths, and net migration to calculate the 1999 population estimates.

The population estimates don't reflect any data from the 2000 census, federal officials said.

If the estimate is correct, Cape Girardeau County's population grew by 9 percent over nine years.

John Mehner, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president, said 10 percent would have been optimum growth.

Mehner said it is important to have "controlled growth." If growth is too fast, it puts strain on local governments and schools to provided needed services, he said.

"We have had substantial growth and improvements since 1990," said Mehner. But he said it is too early to tell what the final numbers will be in the 2000 census.

"We have to wait and see," he said.

Tom Beaver, Census Bureau spokesman with the regional office in Kansas City, Mo., said state population totals from the 2000 census will be released on Dec. 31.

Census data on counties and cities is scheduled to be released in April 2001, he said. That data will be used in redrawing legislative districts, Beaver said.

Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, said the numbers for Cape Girardeau County are "real positive."

"I think we all knew from the growth over the latter half of the decade that things were definitely on the right track," he said.

But like Mehner, Robinson doesn't put too much faith in census estimates. "I really don't put that much stock in them."

At best, he said, the estimates show population trends

Census figures by county

Bollinger

1990: 10,619

1999: 11,829

Up 1,210

Butler

1990: 38,765

1999: 40,379

Up 1,614

Cape Girardeau

1990: 61,633

1999: 67,200

Up 5,567

Carter

1990: 5,515

1999: 6,292

Up 777

Crawford

1990: 19,173

1999: 22,427

Up 3,254

Dent

1990: 13,702

1999: 14,257

Up 555

Dunklin

1990: 33,112

1999: 32,526

Down 586

Howell

1990: 31,447

1999: 36,070

Up 4,623

Iron

1990: 10,726

1999: 10,936

Up 210

Madison

1990: 11,127

1999: 11,650

Up 523

Mississippi

1990: 14,442

1999: 13,339

Down 1,103

New Madrid

1990: 20,928

1999: 19,933

Down 995

Oregon

1990: 9,470

1999: 10,295

Up 825

Pemiscot

1990: 21,921

1999: 21,150

Down 771

Perry

1990: 16,648

1999: 17,431

Up 783

Phelps

1990: 35,248

1999: 38,954

Up 3,706

Reynolds

1990: 6,661

1999: 6,627

Down 34

Ripley

1990: 12,303

1999: 14,174

Up 1,871

St. Francois

1990: 48,904

1999: 55,790

Up 6,886

Scott

1990: 39,376

1999: 40,564

Up 1,188

Shannon

1990: 7,613

1999: 8,298

Up 685

Stoddard

1990: 28,895

1999: 29,633

Up 738

Texas

1990: 21,476

1999: 22,470

Up 994

Washington

1990: 20,380

1999: 23,354

Up 2,974

Wayne

1990: 11,543

1999: 13,046

Up 1,503

Wright

1990: 16,758

1999: 19,934

Up 3,176

Total population 1990: 568,385

Total population 608,558, up 40,173

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, including 1990 census figures and July 1999 population estimates.