Butler County one of 3 Western Pa. counties to grow in population
While its population growth was relatively small, Butler County was one of only three counties in Western Pennsylvania to see an increase between April 2020 and July 2021.
Butler County saw a net population growth of 510 people from April 2020 to July 2021, or an increase of 0.3 percent, according to the most recent data by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The only other counties in the 29-county region to see growth over that span were Washington and Forest counties. The region also includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Somerset, Venango, Warren and Westmoreland counties.
Sunita Mondal, associate professor of accounting, economics and finance at Slippery Rock University, said the county’s increase could be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Butler County’s taxes lower than others nearby, people may have moved out of more expensive places, such as Allegheny County, while working from home.
“I think what's going on in Butler is an increase in domestic migration,” Mondal said. “One of the reasons could be because of the lower taxes. You could be working in Allegheny but paying less in Butler.”
Mondal’s research encompasses economics of crime, gender and race; the labor market impact of public policies; and the economics of education. She said census data can be valuable for studying these impacts, because population shifts can demonstrate how people react to changes in policy and economic situations.
Many large cities saw population decreases from 2020 to 2021, such as San Francisco and New York City, which Mondal interprets as demonstrating that people are starting to seek less-expensive places to live. Additionally, the birth rate nationwide was slightly lower than usual in 2020, while the death rate was slightly higher.
“Census data is revealing that nationwide on average, smaller counties seem to have increased net domestic migration,” Mondal said. “Larger places, larger counties saw net decrease. Bigger places are losing more, I think also because of the work situation and how that has changed. They work from home and choose to avoid the high cost areas.”
Mondal said Butler County is unique in that it has large population bases in Cranberry Township and Zelienople, as well as more rural areas in the north. She also said businesses migrating to the region have increased the job pool people are flocking to.
“These are all attracting people because there are more job opportunities,” Mondal said. “Jobs are growing, they are attracting people, they are migrating to places with lower taxes. This is a very convenient place to live.”
Mondal sees the growth rate of Butler County as sustainable, because “there is room to grow” in places such as Cranberry Township and Butler city.
This growth also impacts the county tax base, which further incentivizes businesses to start in an area. Mondal said the healthcare, higher education and even blue collar work opportunities give Butler County a good base for growth, as well.
Overall, Mondal said the population growth in Butler County is healthy, and it may lead to further economic development in the coming years.
“It's not going to be like a break point, because what is happening as people are moving in, jobs are growing at a healthy pace,” Mondal said. “That is a good sign to growing a local economy.”
