The population of Gloucester County increased by 5 percent from 2010 to 2020, while the population of Mathews County decreased by the same percentage over the decade, according to data for localities released last Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The 2020 Census figures are used for reapportionment of electoral districts, and with the new date just released, jurisdictions can get underway with planning the boundaries of everything from county magisterial districts to the areas represented by the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Racial/ethnic ID

The Census sought racial and ethnic identification of its respondents.

In both Gloucester and Mathews, just over 90 percent of people said they are white. Those identifying as black had a large drop from 2010. In Gloucester, 8.8 percent of the population is black, and the number of black residents dropped by 168 people to 3,412 from 2010. In Mathews 128 fewer black people lived in the county in 2020 than in 2010,...