Jefferson and Boulder counties aren’t shrinking in population, but they aren’t growing as fast as other metro-area counties, officials say.
U.S. Census Bureau figures released last week indicate Boulder County lost 3 percent of its population between 2000 and 2006, and Jefferson County lost 1 percent.
Much of that population loss occurred when nearby Broomfield County was created.
In fact, figures provided by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the state demographer’s office show both counties have grown, with annual growth rates at less than 1 percent.
Officials in the two counties say their situations are different from Douglas County, which saw a whopping 50 percent population hike in the same period.
Boulder County is “approaching build-out, … and we’re not going to see the kind of building” as some of the other area counties, said spokeswoman Barb Halpin.
“We will be infilling here and there, since we do not have the huge tracts of land that will net large increases in population,” Halpin added.
DRCOG estimated Boulder County’s population at 294,045 in 2005, while the U.S. census pegged it at 282,304 in 2006.
Running out of room, water
A year ago, the state demographer said Jefferson County’s population was 532,608 in 2005. A state draft document last week estimated Jeffco was at 534,691 in July 2006, about 8,000 more than the U.S. census estimate.
Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman said the county’s growth is slow but steady.
Hartman also noted that despite sprawling over 744 square miles, Jeffco is running out of room. One-third of the county is national forest, and two-thirds of the entire county is in the foothills, where water availability is a limiting factor.
“As a maturing county, we’re going to have to be fairly careful and strategic with the developable land that is left,” she said.
Fellow Commissioner Kevin McCasky said the county has to do a better job of ensuring that moderately priced homes are available to attract younger families.
“It’s important to create jobs because jobs attract families,” McCasky said.
“All of this leads to some of our budget challenges, since counties are largely dependent on property taxes,” Hartman said of the $12 million in cuts looming for the 2008 general-fund budget.
Shifting demographics
Hartman foresees denser development, particularly around light-rail stations, and as the over-55 crowd grows, there will be bigger demand for smaller, high-quality homes with less lot size.
Boulder County’s projections for property and sales are “right on target,” Halpin said. “We don’t see any problems for the ’08 budget, other than what happens with the economy.”
Halpin also noted that Boulder County lost 21,500 people overnight on Nov. 15, 2001, when Broomfield County was created.
“That was a big hit for us,” Halpin said. The census showed a 3.5 percent drop in population in 2000-01, with the numbers rebounding over the next four years.
Broomfield also took parts of Adams, Jefferson and Weld counties. Jefferson County lost 1,549 residents to Broomfield.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
