(Radio Iowa) — Some cities in Iowa have adding thousands of residents in the last ten years and some have grown by 100 percent and are seeing all kinds of growth in schools and businesses. But, Gary Krob, coordinator of the State Data Center at the State Library of Iowa says the state’s smallest cities have just more than one dozen residents. “Beaconsfield and Leroy both have a population of 15,” Krob says. He says the small population doesn’t mean the cities have to shut down. “As long as a city can function with a government and operate the way that’s needed –they can continue to operate as a city. It really depends on the municipality if they want to,” Krob says.

Census data shows 213 cities have gained population, 712 have lost population, and 18 have had no change. “We have had a couple of cities discontinue since 2010– but again that’s based on the decision of the municipality,” Krob says. The numbers released last week are estimates of growth since the census ten years ago. Krob says we’ll get more concrete numbers from the new count that is underway – -and he says that’s why it is important for everyone to take part. “Whatever that 2020 count is — that is the county for you community for the next 10 years. and all the funding that is coming in from the federal government and the state government is going to be based on that population,” Krob says. “So, we have one shot at this and we want to make sure that get it as accurate as possible and we want to make sure that every house is counted.”

Only 43 of Iowa’s 943 incorporated cities have a population of more than 10-thousand people — but accounted for more than half of Iowa’s total population.