Scott County leads for population growth in Ky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Scott County is the fastest growing county in Kentucky, according to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports (https://bit.ly/1i1WM4T) Scott County’s population grew by 2 percent between July 1, 2012, and July 1, 2013.

Missy Winchell, a Scott County real estate agent, attributed the growth in part to Toyota’s plans to build Lexus sedans at its Georgetown plant in 2015.

“We’re seeing a lot of relocating auto-industry workers,” Winchell said. She also said the county gets a lot of retirees. And she noted that Scott is conveniently located off both Interstate 75 and Interstate 64.

The census estimates were developed using the 2010 federal census as a baseline. Population change each year was calculated using births, deaths, administrative records and survey data. According to estimates, Oldham was the second fastest growing county, with a 1.6 percent population increase. Shelby and Montgomery were next, each with a 1.4 percent growth rate, followed by Bath with a 1.3 percent rate.

Finishing the top 10 were Simpson, Bullitt, Warren, Jessamine and Spencer counties.

All of the fastest-growing counties benefit from their proximity to large cities. For example, Simpson is near the Bowling Green-Warren County area; Bullitt and Spencer are bedroom communities to Louisville; and Jessamine - like Scott - is part of the Lexington metropolitan area.

Eight of the 10 fastest-growing counties are on interstates. Oldham has Interstate 71; Simpson, Bullitt and Warren are along Interstate 65. Montgomery and Bath are along the I-64 corridor east of Lexington.

Meanwhile, Jessamine is trying to get better access to I-75 in Madison County through a proposed connector road from U.S. 27.

Ron Crouch is director of research and statistics for the state office of Employment and Training. He said previous census data indicate that Montgomery County has increased manufacturing in recent years, bringing new jobs to the area. Manufacturing provides nearly 37 percent of all jobs in the county, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New jobs were added in recent years by Black Mountain Door LLC, which makes hollow metal doors, Olympic Steel and Boyd Mining.

Meanwhile, people who are moving to Bath County often work elsewhere.

“You’ve got one county (Montgomery) growing because it’s creating employment, and the other (Bath) growing because it’s a residential area,” Crouch said.

Bath County Judge-Executive Lowell Jamison chuckled at the idea that Bath was one of the state’s fastest-growing counties. But, anecdotally, he said there are more unfamiliar faces passing by the house where he has lived since 1976.

“I used to know everybody that goes up the road,” Jamison said. “Now I don’t know a third of them.”

Apart from commuters, Bath may also be attracting workers. CTI, which makes processed beef, pork, turkey and other products for food-service chains, is expanding and adding 200 jobs.

“That will give us a good boost,” Jamison said.

Estimates found that Jefferson County, home to Louisville, added 6,022 people, for 0.8 percent growth during the period, giving the county an estimated population of 756,832.

Fayette County, which is merged with Lexington, grew by 3,176 people during the period, for 1 percent growth. Fayette now has an estimated 308,422 residents.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, https://www.kentucky.com