County population declining

The number of people living in Elmore County remained on a small but steady decline over the past three years, according to the latest figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

A population estimate published by the bureau for 2013 indicated that the county's population fell by just 122 people over a 12-month period.

Since the formal 2010 Census, the number of people living in Elmore County fell from 27,038 to a current population estimate of 26,170. At the same time, the number of people moving to Idaho continued to climb, going from 1.57 million in 2010 to 1.61 million, according to the 2013 population estimate.

The federal census agency based those latest figures from various sources, including population estimates, a survey of business owners, county business patterns and building permits in addition to an American community survey.

While current numbers for Mountain Home were not immediately available, the bureau reported a similar drop in the number of people living in the city. However, figures from a 2012 population study showed the city's population fell by nearly 3 percent compared to the 14,206 people living here at the time of the 2010 Census.

Current statistics for Mountain Home Air Force Base were not immediately available.