The North Olympic Peninsula’s steady population growth continued last year with 1,078 more residents living in the area, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
The combined population of Clallam and Jefferson counties has climbed from 101,276 in 2010 to 102,874 in 2014 to 103,952 last year.
Clallam County’s population as of last July 1 was 73,486, according to new estimates.
The county grew by 818 residents from the previous year and by 2,082, or 2.92 percent, since the official census of 2010.
Jefferson County’s population was 30,466 last July, according to embargoed Census data disseminated today.
It grew by 260, or 0.86 percent, from the previous year and by 594, or 1.99 percent, since 2010.
Clallam County’s official population was 71,404 in 2010.
Jefferson County had 29,872 six years ago.
Regional growth was 1.05 percent since 2014 and 2.65 percent since the census count of 2010.
Domestic migrants
Clallam County’s population, which exceeds the capacity of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, was fortified last year by an influx of domestic migrants, census data reveals.
The county had a net domestic migration of 989 between July 2014 and July 2015 — its largest migration in the past five years.
There were 677 births and 958 deaths in Clallam County for the year ending last July 1.
That decrease was outweighed by domestic migration, international migration (63 gained) and a residual population change (47 gained) that cannot be attributed to specific demographic components, census officials said.
Jefferson County’s population, which exceeds the average attendance of a Seattle Mariners home game, also grew on the strength of domestic migration.
Jefferson County had 201 births and 338 deaths for the year ending last July.
It added 343 domestic migrants, 12 international migrants and 42 residual citizens, according to census data.
Most populous in nation
Los Angeles remained the most populous county in the nation with 10.17 million living there last July, officials said.
Four North Dakota counties — McKenzie, Williams, Mountrail and Stark — were the fastest-growing in the nation by percent change, with McKenzie leading the way at 16.65 percent.
King County was No. 7 in the nation for numeric growth, adding 34,837 residents, or 1.67 percent, for a new total of 2.12 million.
The Villages, Fla., near Orlando was the fastest-growing metro area for the third year in a row. Its population increased 4.3 percent between 2014 and 2015, census officials said.
A metropolitan area contains a core urban center of more than 50,000.
A micropolitan area contains an urban core of at least 10,000.
The Port Angeles micropolitan statistical area is considered all of Clallam County.
State population estimates were released in December.
Washington’s population was 7.17 million in July 2015, up from 7.06 million in July 2014.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides population estimates for states, counties and Puerto Rico every year.
The estimates are used for federal funding allocations, as controls for major surveys and community development and business planning, officials said.
The new population estimates are available at www.census.gov.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
