Census estimates show that West Virginia lost population over the past year.
The estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau put the state’s population at 1,831,102 on July 1. That’s down nearly 10,000 from the July 2015 estimate and down about 23,000 from 2010. Between 2000 and 2010, the state’s population grew by nearly 45,000 residents.
In all, eight states lost population. Illinois was the only state to lose more residents over the one-year period than West Virginia, which has been hit hard by the downturn in the coal industry.
The estimates show the nation’s population grew less than 1 percent.