Today the US Census Bureau released their July 1, 2007 population estimates for both Incorporated Places and Counties. The results are quite interesting…

In looking at Incorporated Places (i.e. cities and towns), here are the 18 municipalities in the state with a population increase from July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007 of 1,000 persons or more:

Denver led the state with a gain of over 12,000 people for the year, topping our little buddy Aurora by just over 4,000. I’m a bit surprised at the relatively small increase for Colorado Springs. At this rate, it appears Denver’s title as the state’s largest city will not be in jeopardy for quite a long time.

At the county level, here’s how things stacked up for the same 12-month period (15 counties in the state with a population increase from July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007 of 1,000 persons or more):

Even at the county level, Denver was first in the state in numerical population growth, topping Douglas County, the growth machine to our south that consistently has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties. What’s also interesting is that, according to the Census Bureau’s estimates, Denver County regained the claim of most-populous county in the state from El Paso County, which had passed Denver up the year before. However, Denver’s lead likely won’t last, as El Paso County covers 2,129 square miles and Denver County covers only 156 square miles, of which a third is Denver International Airport.

Anyway, I find it amazing that Denver could lead the state in both city and county categories for annual population gain. What a turn-around from just twenty years ago!