There may be fewer metro areas in the U.S. in the near future and Fond du Lac is on the list. The federal government is proposing to downgrade 144 cities from the metropolitan statistical area designation including Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Sheboygan. Under the proposal, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people compared with the 50,000-person threshold that was implemented more than 70 years ago. Envision Greater Fond du Lac president Sadie Parafiniuk tells WFDL news she is concerned the proposed change could impact federal funds including grants. Parafiniuk says the difference of 50,000 in population is a “drastic change.” She says especially now during the pandemic more people are moving back into rural areas. According to the Census Fond du Lac has an urban population of 54,901. Statisticians say the proposal is a long time in coming, given that the U.S. population has more than doubled since 1950. Some officials whose cities are on the list to be downgraded don’t believe it will have a major impact. Others worry it will lead them to lose federal funds.
