T-L File Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK A food truck on Main Street in St. Clairsville on Friday is one of the attractions to promote the area. Although St. Clairsville’s population declined by about 100 residents, it will retain its status as a city with more than 5,000 people calling it home.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The counting of residents was completed in 2020, but it took a few more months before area municipalities learned the results of the U.S. Census.

Census data indicate that while Belmont County’s overall population declined in the last decade, there are still two cities in the county and local leaders said they see potential for an upturn. There had been concern the county seat of St. Clairsville might lose its status as a city. In Ohio, a community must have 5,000 residents to qualify as a city.

Early estimates had the population hovering just above the 5,000-person threshold. But Census data released in August placed St. Clairsville’s population at 5,096. St. Clairsville Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy spearheaded the effort to encourage residents to participate in the count.

He said retaining city status was vital in securing funding for St. Clairsville’s ongoing and future projects, most notably renovating the water distribution system and establishing a connection with Belmont County to purchase water.

“The goal of St. Clairsville was to retain city status, and we did do that,” Murphy said. “That was a decrease from 2010. We were 5,184 … however with last year being the pandemic year and people being concerned about someone coming to their door, I’m sure that hampered the county a little bit.

“And St. Clairsville has changed in the last 10 years,” he continued. “With the oil and gas industry there was a lot of a transient population … who weren’t permanent residents, staying in apartments, and since they were only here for a short period of time, they might not be as interested in filling out the Census for St. Clairsville.”

Murphy said going forward, the city will continue to look into annexing unused properties around the corporation limit and running utility lines in those areas for development, as well as developing vacant ground inside the city both for business and residences.

“The future really looks good,” St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Wendy Anderson said, pointing out a lack of vacant buildings in the city. “We are bringing more people into St. Clairsville, so they can see what a wonderful town this is.”

According to the Census quick facts page, which includes information on municipalities with 5,000 or more people, Martins Ferry, Belmont County’s most populous city, also saw a decline from 6,915 to 6,260 residents.

“We’re holding our own,” Martins Ferry Service Director Andy Sutak said. “We lost some people that moved out. I think all the communities are getting people moving out to the outlying areas and townships.”

The Rev. William Webster of Grace Presbyterian Church in Martins Ferry had chaired the countywide committee to promote cooperation in the Census.

“Belmont County now ranks 36 out of the 88 counties in the state. We have 66,497 residents, representing a 5.5 (percent) decrease in population over the last 10 years,” Webster said.

The 2010 Census put Belmont County’s population at 70,400 in 2010. Webster said the county has lost 3,903 people in 10 years. Webster believes the decrease is due to more and better job opportunities elsewhere and to people declining to participate.

“I figured that our population would go down. We’ve seen so many people in our area that have moved away from here because of jobs, and who haven’t moved back here because of jobs. I’m not surprised by the decrease in population — I’m surprised by the amount: 5 percent for the county’s quite a bit.”

County officials were not surprised by the reports.

“It’s great news that St. Clairsville’s going to remain a city,” Commissioner Jerry Echemann said. “The county as a whole, I’m not really surprised we lost 5 percent. It’s a trend that keeps on going. I think at some point we’ll see that trend slow, and the pendulum we hope will swing back the other way.”

He said the commissioners and the port authority will continue to work on creating local opportunities for business and development.

Martins Ferry in October received its proclamation from the state of Ohio that it officially remains a city. Mayor John Davies said the city received the letter from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, along with the proclamation certificate stating the 2020 federal Census shows the city has 6,260 people.

Davies said the city lost about 1,000 people, but he believes the latest Census number might be off.

“I believe we have more than that. I think with COVID, the pandemic, it slowed it down,” he said of the count. “We’re still the biggest city in Belmont County.”

LaRose’s letter states, “The official 2020 Federal Census results indicate that your municipality has a population of more than 5,000 persons. Accordingly, I am sending you a proclamation of City status, as required by Ohio Revised Code 703.06.”

The Census quick facts page can be found at census.gov.