Population plummets
Cameron County down 8%; Potter County 3%

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Job losses and an aging population are two of the major factors resulting in steady population decreases for both Cameron and Potter counties through the first half of the decade.

A report from the Pa. Data Center pegs the Cameron County population at 5,489 as of last July, a drop-off of more than 8% from the July 2000 figure of 5,974.

Meanwhile, Potter County's population stood at 17,568 in

July 2006, and is probably lower today. More than 400 county residents who were once employed by Adelphia Communications Corp. in Coudersport lost their jobs after July, and a portion of them left the area.

Potter County hit a modernday peak of 18,155 in July 2002, just as Adelphia was entering bankruptcy.

Not all of the population decrease is attributable to outmigration. Both counties are aging. At the same time more retirees are relocating to the region and more high school graduates moving away, a larger proportion of long-time residents are reaching the end of their life expectancy.

There have been more deaths than births in both Potter and Cameron counties throughout the decade. The same holds true for McKean and Elk counties. McKean County's population has dropped from 45,803 in 2000 to 44,065 last July. Elk's fell from 35,112 to 33,179 over the some span.

Some other statistics for the region point to signs of economic struggles:

- average unemployment figures for the region in 2006 were: Cameron, 7.4%; Potter, 5.4%; McKean, 5.3%; Elk, 4.9%. Since that time, 259 Potter County residents, as well as 30 from Cameron and 108 from McKean, lost their jobs when Time Warner Cable closed two huge customer centers in Coudersport two months ago.

- average weekly wages for employees dropped or held steady in each county in 2006: Cameron, $565 (steady); Potter $625, down 4.5%; McKean County, $579 down 1.1%; Elk, $597, down 1%. The average weekly wage for rural Pennsylvania last year was $601; urban employees averaged $806 a week.