Summit County sees spike in population

This article is from the Summit Daily News, as reported by Caddi Nath on February 25, 2011.

Summit County's permanent population swelled to more than 27,000 people, according to the most recent U.S. Census data, an approximately 15 percent increase from 2000 counts.

But the Census numbers fall short of county projections, which estimate a 25.8 percent increase in population — a total permanent resident base of more than 29,600 people.

While the correct, exact number is unclear, county planners say it is likely in the neighborhood of 27,000 people. The planners, who calculate county estimates based on information provided by the Colorado state demographer, said they anticipated population counts for 2010 to be a bit lower than initial estimates due to the recession, which likely pushed some residents back toward the Front Range where jobs might be more readily available.

Census data show the Summit County population has aged slightly since 2000, with a current median age of 33 — up from 30.8 10 years ago. The number of residents over the age of 65 has increased from 3.3 percent of the population to 5.3 percent.

Summit has also followed a state-wide trend toward greater diversity, though the county remains predominantly white, according to 2010 Census numbers. Permanent residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino in Summit County have increased to 13.9 percent in 2010 from 9.8 percent in 2000, while over 90 percent of the total population identifies as white.

The county also made strides toward narrowing the gender gap over the last 10 years, although men continue to outnumber women significantly, according to Census numbers. Women made up 41.8 percent of the total population in 2000, but now constitute 43 percent of the total number of permanent residents.

Summit County continues to trend ahead of the state and the nation as a whole in terms of education and income. Summit County residents boast a per-capita income of over $35,000, while the state-wide per capita income is just over $29,500. Nationally, it's just over $27,000.

Approximately 94 percent of Summit County residents over the age of 25 have completed high school or some higher level of education, compared with just shy of 89 percent of people state-wide and 84 percent of people nationally in the same age bracket. Likewise, 48 percent of locals over 25 hold a bachelor's degree or some higher degree while only 35.5 percent of Colorado's population and 27.5 percent of people across the country can make the same claim.

Redistricting Colorado

Census population counts are key to districting decisions and determining political representation at the local, state and federal level, but Summit County Commissioners say within Summit County, the most important function of the data is to help paint a portrait of the county as a whole.

“The more important thing we'll do is look at who (we are) and what services we need to best serve the population,” County Commissioner Thomas Davidson said.

He said numbers that indicate an older population, for instance, help the county determine what programs need to be provided.

At the state and federal level, Census results impact district lines. A bi-partisan committee of Colorado state legislators is responsible for redrawing U.S. Congressional district lines, reallocating the seven U.S. representatives for Colorado among Colorado's residents.

Rep. Jared Polis, the current U.S. congressman for Summit County, said he expects to see his district shrink by approximately 15,000 people as part of the redistricting process.

“I hope to be able to continue to represent Summit and Eagle counties,” Polis said. “I expect to be able to.”

State representative and senatorial districts will be reapportioned and redistricted by a commission made up of four state legislators and appointees of the governor and the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.

State district lines are drawn based on population and counties' interests. It is an area of concern for Summit County officials.

“That's one thing we have to watch,” Davidson said. “We're interested in districts where we don't get thrown in as an afterthought. That's happened to us in the past.”

Summit County currently belongs to state House District 56, which also includes Eagle and Lake counties, and Senate District 16, a collection of Grand, Gilpin Clear Creek and parts of Jefferson and Boulder counties. It's District 2 for Polis's U.S. Congressional district.

Complete Census data is available online at factfinder.census.gov.

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