(Omaha World-Herald) -- The growth of Nebraska's urban population — and the decline of its rural areas — is happening faster than previously thought. The U.S. Census Bureau's latest county population estimates, which were released today, indicate that areas outside the Omaha, Lincoln and Sioux City metropolitan areas have lost nearly 23,000 residents since the 2000 Census — or more than 3,000 people per year. A year ago, the estimated loss for non-metro counties was about 12,000 — less than 2,000 per year. All told, Nebraska has gained more than 63,000 residents so far this decade, to a total of 1,774,571 as of July 2007. But the modest population gains have been skewed overwhelmingly to Nebraska's largest cities and their suburbs. The eight-county Omaha metro area, which includes three Iowa counties, has grown by 8.2% since 2000 and now is just shy of 830,000 residents. Lincoln's two-county metro area has more than 292,000 residents, up 9.5% since 2000. The Norfolk area is down about 1,725 people, or 3.5%, following job losses at meatpacking plants. The biggest declines on a percentage basis have been in the least-populated parts of Nebraska. Twenty-seven of Nebraska's 93 counties have lost at least 10% of their population during this decade. Only one of those counties had more than 10,000 residents. In the 1920s, 40% of the state's residents lived in the 13 most-populous counties. By 1980, 64% did. In 2000, it was 69%. The latest estimates suggest that the top 13 counties account for 72% of all Nebraskans. International migration, which includes illegal immigrants, accounted for 43% of Nebraska's total population growth. Douglas, Lancaster, Hall, Dawson and Dakota counties accounted for about 80% of the state's foreign migrants.
