IRON MOUNTAIN — Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Iron Mountain’s population dropped by 1.4% from 2010 to 2020, a figure City Manager Jordan Stanchina said might be better than expected.

“I think it was better news than we may have been looking at,” he told the city council Monday, noting the 2019 estimated population was significantly lower.

Figures released recently by the Census Bureau put Iron Mountain’s 2020 population at 7,518, a decline of 106 from 2010. The 2019 estimated population was 7,309, or 315 lower than the 2010 figure.

The data is important because, among other things, it helps determine state and federal spending allocations.

Populations have declined in the past 10 years in most Dickinson County municipalities, though Norway Township grew by 46 residents, an increase of 3.1%. Kingsford and Waucedah Township had slight increases as well.

The 2020 populations reported across the county, as compared with 2010, are:

— Iron Mountain, 7,518, down 1.4%;

— Breitung Township, 5,831, down 0.4%;

— Kingsford, 5,139, up 0.1%;

— Norway, 2,840, down 0.2%;

— Norway Township, 1,535, up 3.1%;

— Sagola Township, 1,066, down 3.6%;

— Waucedah Township, 809, up 0.6%;

— Felch Township, 687, down 8.6%;

— Breen Township, 471, down 5.6%;

— West Branch Township, 51, down 19%.

Dickinson County’s total population was reported at 25,947, down 0.8% from 2010.

According to the 2020 Census, populations have declined in every Upper Peninsula county over the past 10 years, with the exception of Houghton County, which saw a 2% gain.

In other action, the Iron Mountain council:

— Received just one bid, from Bacco Construction, of $465,995 to do slightly more than 1.5 miles of paving on city streets and alleys. The bid, which is $65,000 to $100,000 higher than hoped, will be referred to staff for review. In order to get the most competitive price, the city had left the completion date open until June 2022.

— Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Sept. 7 on selling 2.8 acres of city-owned property to Kwik Trip Inc. for $315,000. The proposed sale, initially discussed by the council July 6, would allow for construction of a fuel/convenience store just north of Dollar General on North Stephenson Avenue. After the public hearing, the council on a 5-7 affirmative vote may sell the property. Based in La Crosse, Wis., Kwik Trip/Kwik Star has hundreds of stores in the upper Midwest. If the Iron Mountain sale is approved, construction would likely take place no later than 2023.

— Mentioned construction of a clinic on South Stephenson Avenue by The NEW Dermatology Group of Green Bay, Wis., as a positive development for the city. “That’s going to be a major draw for this community,” council member Ken Clawson said. The clinic, just east of Tadych’s Family Market, will likely open in 2022.

— Approved guidelines for an archery deer hunt on designated parcels, similar to past years. The program, conducted in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will again allow a hunter to take a buck with his or her own tag after harvesting three antlerless deer. “We’d love to have more people participate because there’s an awful lot of deer,” Stanchina said. Last year’s program culled 34 deer, up from 17 in 2019 when chronic wasting disease fears prompted a baiting ban. The highest harvest over the past nine years of the program was 73 deer in 2015.