U.S. Census: County population grows by 5.9 percent, Wadsworth goes up 11 percent

Population growth in Medina County more than doubled Ohio's pace between 2010 and 2020, according to new U.S. Census data. Numbers from the 2020 Census released Thursday show the county population rising by 5.9 percent to 182,470, far ahead of the state's 2.3 percent growth but not quite matching a nationwide leap of 7.4 percent. Wadsworth's 11.3 percent growth jumps out among Medina County population centers as Brunswick managed 3.4 percent while the city of Medina shrank by 2.2 percent. "I think the secret is out," Wadsworth mayor Robin Laubaugh said. "Wadsworth is a great place to live, work, and enjoy being with others. It's a beautiful community. People enjoy the quaint downtown but they also love the amenities of shopping that are nearby. They enjoy our recreation opportunities and I think they're also very proud of and recognize the benefit of all the city services we have." The preceding decade has spelled a Wadsworth population of 24,007, placing it within striking distance (2,087) of surpassing Medina as the county's second-largest city. Brunswick still comfortably holds the distinction of being the county's most populous city with its 35,426 residents, new data shows. "I don't think we envisioned that 10 years ago," Laubaugh said about gaining quickly on Medina. "We recognize that many are coming to our community and settling. We have an excellent school system and, of course, that's a big draw for Wadsworth. All of that plus an excellent library system add up to Wadsworth having an excellent quality of life." York Township experienced far and away the most drastic population growth of any area in the county, going up by 24.6 percent to 4,284. Among other townships, Montville registered a 17.4 percent uptick followed closely by Sharon's 16.7 percent. Brunswick Hills went up by 13.1 while Liverpool (12.2 percent) and Homer (9.8 percent) weren't far behind. Medina County's collective growth over the past 10 years is ahead of Lorain County's 3.9 percent increase. It also measured as the ninth-fastest population jump among all Ohio counties. From 2000 to 2010, Medina County grew by 14.1 percent, which was sixth fastest in the state. Since 1950, Census results show Medina County only having two 10-year cycles, 2010-2020 and 1980-1990, without double-digit growth. "I remember back to some of those times," said Medina County commissioner Steve Hambley. "There was a recession in 1982 and 1983 where we didn't see much residential growth at all. You also had double-digit inflation in those years. I think you can often track Medina County's (population growth) to the mortgage rates at the time." "I'm not surprised to see Montville so high now," he added. "That's becoming a city unto itself, just a lot of people moving there." Hambley also pointed to the city of Medina not participating in residential annexations as a big reason for its recent drop in residents. "Medina city hasn't grown in terms of geography in the past decade and they don't do annexations," he said. "Wadsworth does and they've grown a lot on their northern border over those years, which isn't to diminish any of the great work they've done down there. It just kind of attributes to a decline in Medina. You might get some new building but it doesn't make up for changes in demographics." Biggest population drops in Medina County in the 2020 Census reportedly occurred in Gloria Glens Park (-13.2 percent), Spencer village (-9.2), and Chippewa Lake (-8 percent). The village of Lodi was the only community in Medina or Lorain County to remain exactly even between 2010 and 2020 with its 2,746 residents. Delaware and Union counties were the only two in Ohio to see populations grow by more than 20 percent and were far ahead of the rest of the field, where the best showing was Warren's 13.9 and Franklin's 13.8. Columbus continues to skyrocket in growth, adding 118,715 residents in the last 10 years and bringing the city's population to 905,748. In contrast, Cleveland is still bleeding residents, slipping in population to 372,624. To put the city's decline in perspective, Cleveland's population peaked in the 1950 census at 914,808 and at that time was the nation's seventh largest city. Ohio's population now sits at just under 11.8 million while the country is now home to more than 331,000,000 people, according to Census findings. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.