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Feb. 2, 2018DES MOINES, Iowa |  By: INS

Iowa State University studies why some shrinking communities thrive

A study to determine why some small towns in Iowa wither and others thrive is under way at Iowa State University. For more than thirty years, most small Midwest communities have experienced shrinking populations, an exodus of younger people, job losses and fewer community services. ISU professor David Peters is part of the "Shrink Smart" study. He says, like the rest of the country, Iowa's population has gotten grayer and small towns have fewer children.

When small towns have fewer kids, they stop investing in services for children, which Peters says makes sense but also becomes self-fulfilling when it comes to creating childless communities.

According to Peters, the five or six small towns bucking the trend in Iowa are mainly dominated by younger, Latino families that have moved there for jobs in the agricultural or food-processing industries. He has studied rural Iowa through his "Iowa Small Town Poll" and knows some young families would prefer a small community but can't make it work.

In 2015, Iowa reported the nation's 14th largest share of residents 65 and older. The ISU team studying the “shrink-smart” concept will host focus groups later this year to hear directly from Iowans.