The U.S. Census Bureau shows that Kansas’s population increased by 2 percent from 2010-12015, but that isn’t the case for most of the Golden Belt.Federal figures released Thursday estimate the state population on July 1, 2015, was 2.911,641, an increase of 9,134 from a year earlier. In 2010, the state had 2,853,132 residents.Barton County went from 27,674 in 2010 to 27,103 – a 2.1 percent dip.Ellsworth County went from 6,497 to 6,343 – a 2.4 percent loss.Pawnee County’s population dropped 1.9 percent, from 6,973 to 6,916.Rice County’s dropped 1.1 percent, from 10,083 to 9,977.Stafford County lost 4.5 percent of its 2010 population, going from 4,437 to 4,236.Rush County lost 5.4 percent – going from 3,307 to 3,130.The only county adjacent to Barton that grew was Russell County; its population increased by 1 percent, moving from 6,970 to 7,039.This is not a new trend. In 2011, census figures showed 77 of the state’s 105 counties had declined in population over the previous decade.As the rural communities lose people, they begin to lose services.