S2_11-15-04

• Basin: Statewide
• Title: SWSI Phase 1 Report - Section 2 Statewide Demographic, Economic, and Social Setting
• Date: 11/15/2004
• Author: CWCB
• SWSI - Doc Type: Final Report

Section 2
Statewide Demographic,
Economic, and Social Setting
The populations in the West Slope basins of the
Colorado, Dolores/San Juan/San Miguel, and Gunnison
Rivers are projected to nearly double over the next
30 years. The populations in the Arkansas, Rio Grande,
South Platte, and Yampa/White/Green Basins will
increase between 35 percent and 65 percent. The North
Platte Basin is projected to have the lowest growth rate
over the 30-year planning period.
Additional detail regarding the population projections and
their use in developing estimates of future water use is
included in Section 5.
2.1.2 Additional Demographic Information
Historical demographic data are compiled by DOLA and
the U.S. Census Bureau. Beyond basic population
figures, demographic factors influence the rates and
patterns of water use. To characterize recent trends and
current conditions, the following data were examined for
Colorado, and where available data allowed, aggregated
on a major river basin basis:
^ Households and family size
^ Age
^ Employment
^ Median household income
Table 2-2 summarizes current (2000) conditions and
changes in the number of households, housing units, and
families. While Colorado's population increased from
1990 to 2000 by about 31 percent, the number of
households, families, and housing units increased at
slightly lower rates, indicating an increase in the average
household and family size.
Table 2-2 Statewide Demoqraphic Trends 1990 to 2000
~ ~ ~ ~. 4 a ~~ ~~;~~;'~j~ . ~ -
Total households 1,282,489 1,658,238 29.3%
Total housing units 1,477,349 1,808,037 22.4%
Total families 854,214 1,084,461 27.0%
Average household 2.51 2.53 0.9%
size
Average family size 3.07 3.09 0.7%
Source: Colorado DOLA Profile of General Demographic
Characteristics 1990-2000
Trends in the age of Colorado's population were also
evident in the 1990s, as indicated in Figure 2-1. These
data suggest that the state's population follows the
national trend of an aging populace as the "baby
boomers" advance in age and average life expectancies
~~
increase. This in turn could have implications on water
use patterns as they relate to movement to multi-unit
dwellings, changes in recreational activities, and
associated water use quantities and patterns.
90%
80~ ~Populationincrease
1990-2000
70 % ~ Average for all age
groups
60%
sor
aor
30%
20%
10% 1 1
0% ,~ ~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~ I~
V ~ V ~ N M V N N (~O r ~ ~ j
O N
O N O N N N N O N N ~
~ ~ N N M V N (O (O I~
Source: Colorado DOLA Profile of General Demographic
Characteristics 1990-2000
Figur~ 2-1
Co/orado Population /ncrease by Age Group,
1990-2000
Colorado's economy is dependent on a diverse set of
employment sectors. In 2000, about 2.2 million civilians
over the age of 16 were employed in the state. County-
level DOLA employment data for 2000 were aggregated
into major basins. These data are summarized in Table
2-3 on the following page, indicating the total
employment and the percentage of jobs in each basin
attributable to the various DOLA labor categories.
Aggregation of county-level data into major river basins
assumed that the split of demographic properties
between basins in multi-basin counties follows the
estimated basin-by-basin split of population described
above.
As shown in Table 2-3, more than 70 percent of the
state's employment is in the South Platte Basin and
another 17 percent is in the Arkansas Basin. The
majority of this employment is in the Front Range
counties. The Colorado Basin accounts for five percent
of the state's employment. The North Platte and
Yampa/White Basins combined account for one percent
of the state's employment, while the Rio Grande,
Dolores/San Juan, and Gunnison Basins combined
account for about five percent of the state's employment.
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