WALHALLA — City officials are somewhat puzzled over the latest U.S. Census estimates showing an almost 6 percent decline in population since the 2000 Census.

According to the Census Bureau’s Population Finder, Walhalla had 3,576 residents inside its city limits, or 5.9 percent less than it did nine years ago when the population was 3,801.

City Administrator Nancy Goehle was surprised when the shrinking population trend was brought to her attention. Goehle said that going by the city’s water and sewer accounts, she has not noticed any drop in the numbers.

Scott Parris, the city’s utilities director, said that by his rough estimate based on utilities accounts inside city limits, the population should be about 3,858, or an increase of 1.5 percent over the 2000 Census numbers.

City officials are troubled by the Census tracking estimates showing a drop in population because federal funding amounts are tied to official Census numbers.

The population drop is not affecting Walhalla alone in Oconee County.

According to the Census Bureau, Westminster’s 2008 population estimate of 2,663 reflects a drop of 2.9 percent from its 2000 count of 2,743 city residents.

Westminster’s City Administrator David Smith could not be reached for comment.

On the other hand, the city of Seneca and the towns of Salem and West Union are on growth tracks, according to the Census numbers.

Seneca is growing at a 5 percent clip with 8,038 residents compared to 7,652 in 2000. West Union grew 1.3 percent to 301 residents, while Salem went up almost 4 percent to 132 residents.

In neighboring Pickens County, Clemson topped 13,000 residents in the 2008 Census estimate, or nearly 9 percent more than the 2000 count of 11,939.

In the Upstate, Greer and Mauldin paced growth with population increases of 39 percent and 33 percent, respectively, over 2000 numbers.