La Plata County grew by more than 800 residents in 2015, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau released last week.
In its 2015 annual estimates of resident population released June 23, the Census Bureau recorded La Plata County’s population grew from 53,850 in 2014 to 54,688 in 2015, or 1.6 percent.
La Plata County’s 838 new residents make the county the 12th fastest-growing of the state’s 64 counties.
The annual average growth rate is consistent with growth in the county over the past six years. In 2010, the population was 51,441, and it has increased by about 1.5 percent since.
“This is very much in line with what we’ve been seeing over the past several years,” said Megan Graham, public affairs officer for the county.
In a state-complied demographic profile of La Plata County, Colorado demographers predicted the county’s population will reach 61,784 by 2020, and 74,727 by 2030. Those same estimates show there would be 42,964 jobs in 2030.
The growth highlights the increasing pressure on La Plata County to provide services and infrastructure, but has a diverse set of implications beyond that, Graham said. “Obviously more people, more homes, more cars on the road, but also more contributions to our local economy, more businesses, more minds, more students – you know just a broader, larger more diverse community.”
The newly released data also breaks down La Plata County by the numbers.
Of the 54,688 residents, 27,721 are male, and 26,967 are female.
The largest age demographic are those 18 to 64, accounting for 36,028 people. There were 10,531 residents younger than 18 , and 8,129 residents 65 and older.
The new data also categorized the county by race: 48,711 white; 3,766 Native American; 464 Asian; 316 black; 48 Pacific Islanders; and 1,383 of two races or more.
The U.S. Census Bureau did not profile the city of Durango because the town’s population has fewer than 50,000 residents.
In the last year, the total population of Colorado increased by 101,000 residents, for a total population of 5,456,574. The last time the state increased its population more than 100,000 in one year was in 2001.
