Hays ? Rural northwest Kansas counties are seeing year-to-year declines in population, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this week.

None of the counties in the region has seen an increase since the last census was taken in 2000. But new estimates show the overall Kansas population did increase from 2005 to July 1, 2006 – by 15,903, about one-half of 1 percent.

Among the places that saw an increase in that time were Wallace and Ellis counties, which are in northwest Kansas, although they still have fewer people than they did in 2000.

Wallace, the second-smallest county in Kansas when it comes to population, grew by one person. That growth might be the result of the closing of a Mennonite school and church that prompted members of the congregation to move out of the area to several other states, making housing available for people from outside the area.

Ellis County also had modest growth, but population has declined by 2 percent since 2000; Wallace County has dropped nearly 12 percent.

The greatest decline for the state since 2000 was in Ness County, losing nearly 15 percent of its population.

Although the numbers are just estimates of people coming and going since the last census, they are the basis for distribution of federal money to counties.

John and Trudy Allen are among the new Wallace County residents, relocating from Tennessee. They are among a handful of people who have filled the former homes of members of Sharon Springs Mennonite Church.

Their business, Bus Service Inc., specializes in truck and bus parts, and they have a loyal customer base, John Allen said.

“We’re very happy,” he said. “We just went through a very bad winter. People went out of their way to be nice.”

The Sharon Springs Mennonite Church and its school closed in 2003, as membership fell from a peak of 55 to the 23 at the time it closed, according to Ervin Williams, the only church member who still lives in the area.

“I just haven’t left yet,” he said. “I had to stay and put things in order.”