Published: May 21, 2009 10:30 pm      

Numbers man — 05/23/09

Ron Crouch stressed impact of state's aginig population

The state’s top number cruncher is retiring after 21 years of providing valuable information concerning population trends in Kentucky. Ron Crouch, 62, executive director of the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville, is leaving his post May 29.

Those who have heard Crouch speak or talked to him over the years have been both impressed and amazed at his ability to recite from memory statistics about Kentucky and the people who call this state home. Because the data center is a cooperative effort between state and federal government and acts as an information clearinghouse for the Census Bureau and other information sources, Crouch probably knows more about this state’s population than any other individual.

Such information is important for both state and local government planning. For example, for years Crouch has been talking about the steady inversion of the state’s population and what that means for the future. He can quickly recite figures that show that while children under 18 represent a smaller and smaller percentage of the state’s population, the state’s older population — those 65 and older — is growing rapidly.

The state’s population used to be a pyramid with children providing the base and the elderly being the peak. Now, Crouch says, that pyramid is beginning to look more and more like a cube. Ultimately, that could lead to the state allocating a smaller percentage of its tax dollars to educating children and a larger percentage to services for the elderly. That’s something elected officials should be thinking about — and planning for —particularly as Baby Boomers retire.

When Crouch became director of the Kentucky State Data Center, it had a staff of five. That has dwindled to two, and its budget has dropped in recent years.

However, the work of the center continues to be important — even if elected officials have not always recognized that importance.