The eight-county Dayton region continued to show slight growth over the last year, according to county population estimates released Tuesday, March 23, by U.S. Census Bureau.

For the 12 months ending last July 1, the region grew by about 3,400 people, or 0.2 percent, the estimates show. But that growth, as has been the case throughout the decade, was almost completely in Warren and Butler counties. Without the almost 5,700 estimated population growth in those two counties, the remaining six counties lost nearly 2,300 people last year.

Once again, Montgomery County, which lost 2,339 people in the 12-month period and 26,502 for the decade so far, was one of the biggest population losers in the state. It ranked behind only Cuyahoga County in population loss during both periods, and its 4.7 percent loss during the decade was 81st out of 88 counties.

The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area — Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Preble counties — lost an estimated 1,973 people or 0.2 percent during the last 12-month period to rank 342 out of the 366 metropolitan areas nationwide.

For the decade, the Dayton metropolitan area has lost just more than 13,000 people, or 1.5 percent, to rank 330th in the nation.