New Kent County may be small, but it's also fast.

For the second year in a row, New Kent is among the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States, ranking 89th, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

New Kent, whose population grew 3.7 percent to 17,109 as of July 1, 2007, held the 96th spot in the nation last year.

Several other Virginia localities made the list, based on Census population estimates released yesterday.

Loudoun was Virginia's fastest-growing county and 35th in the nation. King George and Culpeper counties also made the U.S. top 100, ranking 47th and 97th, respectively.

New Kent County Administrator John Budesky said local leaders have anticipated and planned for the increase. Although a downturn in the economy could curtail it, he said New Kent's residential market has remained fairly strong compared to surrounding communities.

"There is still strong interest in New Kent as a place to reside, and we're seeing growing interest for the same reason with business operations," Budesky said.

Since many New Kent residents work outside the county, rising fuel costs also could have an impact, Budesky said.

"That will continue to be an issue for folks on whether or not they want to take the opportunity of a rural community that has great services and amenities, or do they want to live closer to their work to reduce their fuel expenditures," Budesky said. "I think that's probably an individual decision for each homebuyer's particular financial situation."

Overall, Virginia's population has been growing at a slower rate since 2000 compared to the growth rate in the previous decade, and several fast-growing counties also could see a slowdown in growth in the next couple years, said Qian Cai, director of the Weldon Cooper Center's demographics and work force section at the University of Virginia. Her group produces annual population estimates that are independent from the U.S. Census Bureau's and are considered the official numbers for when it comes to allocating state funds and revenues.

"It's hard to say whether it's really the growth that is slowing down, or if the estimates were overestimated in previous years because of the housing boom a few years ago," Cai said.

To get a better picture, she recommends looking at the population change between 2000 and 2007 as a period, rather than at change from year to year. It will indicate that growth is slowing, she said.

For smaller localities such as New Kent, being ranked on population growth percentage is a fun way to get people interested in the numbers, but it doesn't say much, she said.

"We always want to look at both numbers -- the actual numbers and the percentage change. For a small community, some change can translate into a large percent," she said. "Making it into the top-100 list is a good thing or bad thing, or exciting or disappointing really depends on each person's interpretation."

When it comes to numeric population increases, New Kent ranks 31st among 134 Virginia cities and counties with 610 new residents. In Metro Richmond, Chesterfield County grew by 5,859 people, Henrico County by 4,255, Richmond by 1,499 and Hanover by 862. Richmond, which saw its population dip in 2003 and 2004, had an increase for the third consecutive year.
Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or mmartin@timesdispatch.com.