Longmont not quite at 100,000 population, city says

Longmont is not quite at the 100,000 population threshold, despite the assertion of the U.S. Census Bureau, says the city’s principal planner.

The most recent estimate at the end of 2021, puts Longmont’s population at 99,629, Erin Fosdick, said via email. The city’s estimate is based on a variety of factors including total dwelling units and occupancy rates that, put together, does not push Longmont to 100,000.

 At least not yet, Fosdick said.

“I am guessing we will reach that important (100,000 population) milestone when we do the estimates at the end of the year,” Fosdick said.

The latest estimate from the U.S. The Census Bureau placed the city’s population at 100,758 as of July 1, 2021, according to BIzWest business magazine. This places Longmont within striking distance of supplanting Boulder as the most-populous community in Boulder County, BizWest states.

The Census Bureau estimates Boulder’s population at 104,175, down from the official April 1, 2020 census count of 108,250, according to BizWest.

While the official April 1, 2020, census placed Longmont at 98,885 residents, the Census Bureau’s estimates base calculated that the city actually reached 100,119 at that time, BizWest states.

 Scott Cook, president and CEO of the Longmont Chamber of Commerce, told BizWest the latest population estimate was not unexpected.

“I think people, they see the growth, and so these numbers represent what people are feeling and seeing as far as all of the building and people moving into our community,” Cook told BizWest. “As economic partners, we’re working on a variety of different challenges that we’re seeing with the growth, so we’re hearing a lot from our employers about housing and transportation, and these are challenges that come along with that growth.

Boulder’s population took a hit with the pandemic-driven closure of the University of Colorado Boulder campus and the rise of remote workers, enabling employees to work remotely in areas with more-affordable housing than the city of Boulder, BizWest states.

The Census Bureau estimates the population of cities and towns annually, including revisions to estimates for prior years. It calculates growth from an estimates base that differs from the actual Census count, BizWest states.

Longmont based its Dec. 31, 2021 population estimates by calculating:

40,310 Total dwelling units

x 0.98 Occupancy rate (2.0% vacancy rate)

39,504 Occupied dwelling units

x 2.5 Average household size

98,760 Persons living in households

+ 869 Persons living in group quarters

The result is that 99,629 people lived in the city of Longmont as of Dec. 31, 2021,  Fosdick said.