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State demographers propose higher Elbert County population forecasts; commissioners say revised numbers could spur business interest
Summary
State Demography Office officials told the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners that removing a prior growth cap would raise long‑term population forecasts by roughly 2,000–4,000 residents by mid‑century, citing strong recent net migration and nearly 450 new housing units in 12 months; county officials requested draft tables and a two‑month timeline for revised estimates.
Neil Mark and Nancy Gideon of the State Demography Office told the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners on April 15 that preliminary data show stronger recent growth in the county and warrant moving away from a previously applied growth cap. "This is just with the most current data that we have," Mark said, stressing the figures are preliminary.
The demographers said Colorado’s recent population revisions reflected a methodological change at the U.S. Census Bureau that reallocated international migrants using alternative administrative data, a shift that largely boosted counts on the Front Range but did not materially change Elbert County’s allocation. Neil Mark said Elbert has nonetheless seen elevated domestic migration in the past year, and that preliminary counts show net migration above 1,000 — a level not seen since the 1990s.
Nancy Gideon presented housing data the State Demography Office had compiled for…
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