County Population Estimated Below 7,100

RISON - A 2003 study conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas projected that the population of Cleveland County could exceed 11,000 people by the year 2025.Those projections back then did not seem so far-fetched because, unlike most of its neighbors, Cleveland County was seeing slow but steady growth at the time.Based on the projected growth rate in 2003, Cleveland County was projected to have an “upper bound” estimated population of 11,414 and “lower bound” estimate of 10,378 by 2025.When the study came out in 2003, Cleveland County had an estimated population of 8,541. Had the study’s projections panned out, that would have reflected about a 33 percent increase in population for the high estimate and a 21 percent increase for the low estimate.But reality has produced a much different story.Cleveland County did see a bump in population after the study was released when the 2010 Census showed the county’s population had increased to 8,689 from the 2003 projections. That figure, however, turned out to be more of a peak than a launching pad.By the 2020 Census, the county’s population had fallen to 7,550, a 13 percent drop from 2010.And that trend seems to be continuing.According to the World Population Review website, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data to estimate current populations, Cleveland County currently has 7,073 residents. According to the website, the county lost 151 residents over the past year reflecting a 2.09 percent loss in population.The first census record conducted for Cleveland County was in 1880. The population at that time was 8,370. By the 1890 census, the population had swelled to 11,362 and remained at that level or higher over the next 50 years, peaking at 13,481 in the 1910 census.But the out-migration hit the county hard after World War II. The 1940 census had Cleveland County’s population at 12,570. By 195...