According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today, the state's smallest county was again the big winner in percentage population growth from 2004 to 2005, growing 7.7 percent to 62,944 people. That percentage gain ranked Rockwall County fourth in the nation, which was led by the 10.7 percent growth in Flagler County, Fla. And Lampasas County in Central Texas, which took the title as the state's growth leader from 2003 to 2004, led the state in population decline from 2004 to 2005, according to the Census Bureau.

Rockwall County Judge Bill Bell said he's not surprised, and not necessarily pleased, by the numbers. "I think we're dealing with it," he said. "It doesn't hurt the county as much as it hurts the schools." His counterpart in Lampasas County, Virgil Lilley, said that he wasn't aware of the drop in the census estimate but that it sounded strange. "The only plausible explanation I can think of is a bad number somewhere o! r some kind of troop movement," he said, referring to nearby Fort Hood.

State demographer Steve Murdock said year-to-year changes - especially in smaller counties such as Rockwall and Lampasas (with an estimated population of 19,669 on July 1, 2005) - mean less than longer-term trends. From the 2000 census to the 2005 estimate, Rockwall's 46.1 percent growth leads the state and is No. 3 in the country.

Other area counties showed continuing growth from 2004 to 2005. Collin County, with the second-fastest growth in Texas, edged closer to the 700,000 mark with an estimated 659,457 people. It added 31,031 people, the ninth-largest numerical increase in the country. Also among the top 10 in the nation with the largest increase in number of people were Harris and Tarrant counties. Dallas County's population grew by about 0.6 percent, to just over 2.3 million. Mr. Bell said Rockwall County was continuing to prepare for more growth. "Our build-out is 250,000," he said. "It's going to happen. It's just a matter of when. We know it's coming."

E-mail imccann@dallasnews.com

Copyright 2006 The Dallas Morning News
Record Number: 1180336863