Preliminary results of a special census indicate the village’s population has increased by more than 2,000, and the village stands to gain as much as $200,000 in state revenues, Mayor John Nowakowski said this week.
The preliminary count, which has to be confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau, indicates a population of 14,778, an increase of 2,086 over the 1996 headcount of 12,692.
This year’s count is the third special census conducted in the rapidly growing village since the census of 1990, when the population was 9,675, Village Administrator Russ Loebe said.
Special censuses were conducted in 1993 and 1996.
Interim censuses are common in growing communities, where accurate counts of an increasing population can bring higher state revenues, such as from the sales tax and motor fuel tax.
Despite the village’s rapid population increase, “We’re still less than 50 percent (of the population) of (New Lenox) township,” Nowakowski said.