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Mathews population drops; Gloucester posts slight gain

Mathews County is losing population and Gloucester has grown minimally since the 2010 Census, according to official population estimates released last week.

The figures, calculated by the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia, found a change of just 0.6 percent in Gloucester: from 36,858 counted in 2010, to 37,072 estimated as of July 1, 2015.

For Mathews, the news was worse: a decline of 8,978 to 8,737 residents, a change of -2.7 percent.

At the same time, Virginia’s population as a whole was found to have increased by 4.8 percent, with a July 1, 2015 estimate of 8,382,993 people.

Population estimates are based on records of births, deaths, school enrollment and residential housing construction, the Cooper Center said.

Components of change to make the +214 people in Gloucester were said to be 99 more births than deaths, and a net migration of 115 people (more people moving to the county than away from it).

The components in Mathews, for a net loss of 241 peopl...

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