The number of people living in Cass County is at its lowest in nearly 70 years.
The county's population endured a 2.8 percent decline between 2008 and 2015, from 39,010 to 37,979, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Cass County had 38,966 citizens accounted for in the 2010 census and 40,930 in 2000.
1940 was the last time the county had a population less than 38,000 — 36,908 were counted then — and 1950 had an increase in numbers to 38,793, census data state. The population hovered between 38,000 and 40,000 for several decades until recently.
Some county leaders have differing opinions on the drop in numbers.
Cass County Commissioner Jim Sailors said the loss of industry over the past few decades in Logansport, such as the closures of Exide Technologies and Trelleborg Automotive Plant, has made it hard for some people to stay in Logansport.
"You can probably look around the area and look how many industries we had in this area and we don’t have them anymore," Sailors said.
Trellenborg, also known as General Tire, laid off more than 250 employees in 2004. Some people laid off from all of those companies have found other jobs in town, Sailors said, while others left the city and county to find work.
Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell also said job losses in 2015 from Carter Fuel, which laid off nearly a third of its workforce, and Co-Tronics, which moved its operation to Miami County, means people might leave the community.
Kitchell also said some lifelong Logansport citizens have left the area because of retirement or to be closer to family in other parts of the state.
Bill Cuppy agreed, saying his perception is that the decline in residents is due to a generational shift rather than loss of industry. As baby boomers age, he said, some are moving to warmer climates.
"I can think of several names of families that I’m accustomed to in this community that are no longer living here," he said, "not because of a problem or an opportunity or a business, just mainly because Florida is Florida."
Cuppy, director of the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce and head of the Cass-Logansport Economic Development Organization, said some manufacturers that left the city didn't take away a large chunk of employees like has happened in larger cities nearby, such as Marion, Anderson and Newcastle.
Quality Die Set, a manufacturer that moved to Logansport from Flora, hired about 40 jobs since opening up shop in the former Modine building last year, Cuppy said, which compensated for some businesses that left with 10-20 employees.
While Cass County's population has decreased, the state as a whole has been gradually increasing every decade in the past century. The county hasn't kept up with the likes of the state and nation in median household income, either.
In 2014, the income level for Cass County was at $44,430, less than the state at $49,384 and the nation at $53,657.
The Indiana Business Research Center projects that Cass County will see its population drop once again over the next five years. Kitchell and Cuppy both said they hope and believe the county can bounce back to a higher population.
They say Logansport could market itself as a bedroom community for Kokomo and Lafayette, especially with the ongoing expansion of the Subaru plant and the Hoosier Heartland highway connecting to Lafayette.
But in order to make that happen, Kitchell said the city needs more quality housing, adding that's why his administration wants to talk with a developer to transform the Logan Square building downtown into condominiums.
"It’s a snapshot in time, it’s not a death sentence," Kitchell said about the drop in population. "And you have to look at that as a moving target and not a epitaph."
Michele Starkey, Logansport School Corp. superintendent, said there are usually more students who leave the area than come back after graduating from high school, especially if they attend college. But in recent years, Starkey said the district has had some students graduate from college and come back to teach in Logansport.
The corporation has been working with the city and the county to figure out ways to make the area more attractive for people to come back and work.
"They have to have something to come back to do," Starkey said. "It's a great community to come back to and raise a family in. But you have to support that family, too."
Sailors added that the county and city have been in talks with prospective industries wanting to come to the area.
"At least we’re trying to work together now," he said, "and hopefully we’ll be able to bring some industry or something back in here to where we can help the population and our county as far as wages and income."