The 2010 census is expected to show that Pettis County has grown by less than 5 percent since 2000, according to state projections.

The county is projected to have grown by about 1,900 people in the decade between the two census counts, according to the state’s Office of Administration. The county had 39,403 residents in 2000, and is expected to have 41,309 citizens in 2010. That represents a gain of 4.8 percent for the county.

The projections came from the state demographer, who is housed in the office of Administration’s Division of Budget and Planning.
County officials say the projected totals may be lower than the final tally when the census comes out in 2010.

“I think their numbers are conservative,” said Geographic Information Systems coordinator James Theisen.

Theisen recently led an intensive count of the county’s residential addresses, which found the total number of houses at 17,888. That’s some 900 more than the county’s 16,963 residential addresses at the 2000 census.

Those numbers represent only actual residential homes and apartments, and do not include group housing just as nursing homes or Pettis County Jail.

County officials said they believe the last count did not accurately reflect the county’s total population, and plan to aggressively approach to the next census count. Authorities want to hit 50,000 county residents, which they say would open the county to far more lucrative business opportunities.

“The 50,000 (mark) has a whole bunch of different meanings economically,” said Pettis County Presiding Commissioner Rusty Kahrs. “Once you hit that target, it opens a lot of doors.”

Many businesses and restaurants become more interested when a county has more than 50,000 residents, he said.

Kahrs said he wasn’t sure whether the county would achieve that population milestone in 2010.

“I hope we will,” he said. “I’m confident that we’ve got a lot more people here than the last census showed.”

Pettis County lags behind the state’s projected 6.8 percent population growth over the same 10-year period, but is roughly in the middle of surrounding counties.

Morgan County is projected to have highest percentage jump, rising 10.8 percent over 2000’s 19,309 residents. Johnson County will grow by the most people, gaining an estimated 5,132 residents by 2010.

Saline County comes in the bottom of nearby counties for projected population percentage changes, with a 5.3 percent drop for an expected loss of 1,270 residents.