The Census Bureau released their July 2016 population estimates, and the data tells a very interesting story!

While the US as a whole increased by 2.2 million, or .7%, Colorado increased by 91,726 - ranking 8th among states for total growth! With a total estimated population of 5,540,545, Colorado has moved up one spot and is now the 21st largest state, beating out Minnesota.

What caused Colorado’s population increase? It was a combination of natural increase (births minus deaths) and migration. Natural increase accounted for 30,300 or 33% of the increase, while migration accounted for 60,700 or 67%. Historically, Colorado has seen an average of 55% of its growth from migration.

Which states grew faster than Colorado? Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Oregon took the first six spots. These six states also had the fastest job growth in the US, according to June 2015 to June 2016 BLS data, while Colorado ranked 7th again. Florida and Washington were the only states larger than Colorado with faster growth rates. Utah was the fastest growing at 2% with an increase of 60,000.

The Census estimates are in line with the forecasts of the State Demography Office which indicate that Colorado is continuing to grow, but at a slightly slower pace than we’ve been seeing.

Check out our full press release for more takeaways from the Census population estimates!

Want to know more? Visit our website at demography.dola.colorado.gov or send questions to dola_dlg_helpdesk@state.co.us

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Data source: US Census Bureau