According to the latest estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, Clark County’s population has grown less than 1 percent since 2010.

Recently released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Clark County now has 35,819 residents after adding 136 people or 0.6 percent. The 2010 census said 35,613 people lived in Clark County.

In Kentucky, Clark County ranked 31st in terms of population.

By looking at the numbers alone, it can be easy to think Clark County has become stagnant. 

American journalists Sydney J. Harris once said, “The greatest enemy of progress is not stagnation, but false progress.” 

The good news is, despite a slow increase in population, Clark County has in fact made real progress in recent years and continues to lay the groundwork for more. 

Take the Clark County Industrial Park, for example, where hundreds of acres of land are complete with infrastructure waiting for new business and manufacturing opportunities. 

Clark County boasts a new multi-million dollar waste-water treatment plant that makes handling large capacities of water for businesses possible as business and residential growth occurs. 

Bluegrass Community and Technical College is celebrating its 10th year in Clark County and continues to provide technical training and education for the region. 

The new state-of-the-art Area Technology Center is partnering with local organizations like BCTC and Clark Regional Medical Center to create programs for George Rogers Clark High School students to gain job and technical skills. These partnerships are sure to encourage a well-trained workforce to stay in Winchester-Clark County. 

Speaking of Clark Regional Medical Center, the new facility continues to grow and add more health care options for the community, and the space left where the old hospital stood has a bright future as a top-notch park and greenspace that will draw visitors from the region and beyond. 

Cora Heffner, director of Clark County Community Education, has successfully spearheaded an effort to earn a Work Ready designation for Clark County, which lets potential businesses know the community is focused on building a more reliable and skilled workforce. 

Finally, a downtown master plan is in the works to continue to revitalize what was once a bustling and vibrant economic anchor of our community. 

Not to mention a variety of new locally-owned businesses and restaurants are expected the downtown and Bypass Road areas. 

Although Clark County can’t boast about enormous population growth, we can celebrate that we didn’t lose population. 

More importantly we can celebrate the many things happening that will likely help boost growth in the future. At this rate, we can anticipate more growth when the census is revisited in another five years. 

By the numbers, our growth might looks stagnant in Clark County, but there’s nothing false about the progress being made here.