Gloucester’s population has risen steadily this century. The population of Mathews has been heading down.What does this mean?

Every additional group of 100 people has an impact on schools, tax base, jobs, and the health of local businesses; keeping up with growth means pressure on law enforcement and roads.

With loss of population, localities such as Mathews will face pressure to maintain funding for schools and the opportunities offered therein. Homes will be left behind when people move out, and many of these rejoin the overcoming forest, thus tax revenue goes down.

In our Aug. 19 issue, we presented raw numbers from the 2020 Census showing that Gloucester grew 5 percent in the past decade, while Mathews County’s population has declined by the same rate.

The human stories behind these changes will play out in the years to come. We trust our county officials study the numbers, consider the implications, and in both Gloucester and Mathews, work together for policies to con...