Durango and La Plata County continue to see strong population growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
The Census Bureau pegged Durango’s population, as of July 1, at 17,834. That represents 5.6 percent growth since the last Census in 2010.
Durango grew slightly faster than La Plata County as a whole. The county had 53,989 residents last year, a 5.2 percent growth since 2010.
That makes for an annualized growth rate of 1.27 percent in La Plata County and 1.46 percent in the city of Durango.
The area is growing at an “extraordinary pace,” said Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of La Plata County Economic Development Alliance.
Durango’s population growth places it at 20th among 536 micropolitan areas tracked by the Census Bureau, he said. Micropolitan areas have one urban cluster of 10,000 to 50,000 residents, plus adjacent territory with strong economic ties to the core city.
“I wouldn’t reasonably expect us to grow at a faster pace,” Zalneraitis said. “I don’t see how we could. There’s nothing out there in the nation that’s growing faster,” except for a few cities, he said.
Colorado grew at a 6.5 percent clip during the same period, to nearly 5.4 million residents. That represented an annual growth of 1.6 percent. Greeley and Fort Collins were among the fastest-growing cities in the nation from 2013 to 2014.
Durango seems to be one of the winners of modern migration patterns. Overall, Americans are leaving rural areas for major cities. Some small towns with educated populaces and other amenities are attracting the same movement.
In La Plata County, about 43 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher. The median for micropolitan areas is about 18 percent.
“There’s a very strong correlation between educational attainment and population growth,” Zalneraitis said.
La Plata County also has a diverse economy, with a strong health-care sector, higher-education institutions and natural-resources jobs, he said.
“By micropolitan standards, we actually have a fairly diversified economy here,” Zalneraitis said. “That translates to better economic performance over the long term.”
Zalneraitis said Durango’s population growth is manageable. It’s about the same as in Boulder and Portland, Oregon, and only about half of booming St. George, Utah.
Economic analysts closely track population growth as a sign of a healthy economy. Population growth occurred locally in every year from 2010 to 2014, the Census Bureau said.
“The growth rates are healthy and consistent with recent history,” said Bob Allen, a Durango real-estate appraiser and economic analyst.
Yet population growth brings burdens, as well – on public infrastructure, on housing and everyday experiences such as finding a parking space downtown.
Our neighbor to the south did not fare so well. The population of the Farmington metro area fell 4.8 percent during the same period to 123,785. The Farmington area has been hit hard by declining activity in the natural gas and oil industry and partial shutdowns of two coal-fired power plants.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
