This month, the U.S. Census Bureau released data from the 2020 Census. This is the decennial process by which things such as federal funding and Congressional representation are determined.  

It won’t surprise anyone to learn that Colorado grew rapidly over the past 10 years, with the state’s population increasing by almost 15%, or about twice the national population growth rate, from around 5 million people in 2010 to 5.75 million last year.  

Arapahoe County’s growth largely mirrored the state’s. The County’s official population increased from 572,003 in 2010 to 655,070 in 2020, a rise of about 14.5%. What might be a bit unexpected is our area’s relatively mild growth in contrast to certain neighboring counties: Arapahoe’s growth since 2010 was only the 9th-fastest rate in Colorado, with Adams (17.7%), Denver (19.2%), Douglas (25.4%) and Broomfield (32.6%), among others, all expanding faster. 

The other primary takeaway from the initial Census data is how Colorado’s entire population is diversifying--this is also true of the state’s religious diversity—and this is especially prevalent in Arapahoe County, where 56% of our residents identified as “white alone” (see chart), compared to rates of over 70% in several nearby counties. 

The growth in Arapahoe County has had impacts on everyday conditions such as traffic and home prices, and it could subtly alter the boundaries of our County commissioner districts once the redistricting process swings into action in the coming weeks. The upshot is, if you live or work near existing district boundaries, you may find yourself represented by a different County commissioner in the coming years.