By Todd Hatton
Frankfort, KY – New U.S. Census figures for Kentucky show the population shifting away from the eastern and western coalfields and the Mississippi River counties to the cities of Lexington, Louisville, and northern Kentucky. The state as a whole grew almost 7.5% in the last decade to a total of almost 4.4 million people. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the counties that lost more than 5% of their residents were in the far west and east. In the west, Trigg County saw the highest percentage of growth, almost 14%, while Calloway had the largest increase in people, just over 3,000. Fulton County had the largest decrease, losing just under a thousand people, or over 12%. Office of Employment and Training Research and Statistics Director Ron Crouch says U.S. House and state legislative districts will likely change in response to population, with larger areas for seats in eastern and western Kentucky.