WSPC07272

• File Number: 8040.950
• Description: Section D General Studies - General Water Studies
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/21/1972
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Balanced Population Committee - Colorado Population Projections
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

GGons

Water Board population figures reflect the same assumptions
about rates of in-migration and natural increase as do those
of the Denver Regional Council of Governments, although the
DRCOG projections from these rates are certainly more current.

(3) Colorado Department of Hiqhways. In 1971, the
Colorado Department of H~ghways commissioned the firm of Wil-
bur Smith and Associates to prepare a study of future trans-
portation needs for the State of Colorado. The report is
titled Colorado Hi hwa Classification Needs and Fiscal
Study. Inc u e ~n t e vo ume 0 e repor 1t e h conomic
Forecast: Population and Motor Vehicle Trends" is a projec-
tion of future population levels for the state. The general
forecast of the study is as follows:

Colorado's population growth due to natural
increase (births less deaths) can be expected to
decline slightly in the future. This represents
a continuation of the trend toward smaller
family sizes in Colorado. For example, the aver-
age occupied housing unit in the State in 1960
contained 3.4 persons. In 1970, the same statis-
tic yielded a persons-to-household figure of 3.1.
Thus, families are indeed getting smaller on the
average. However, Colorado has a large percent-
age of young persons, as indicated earlier, who
will be forming new households and having fami-
lies. While statistics show that the families
will be smaller in size, the large number of
young persons enabling family formation should
act to counter the smaller family size to a con-
siderable extent. The net result then is that
population gain due to natural population in-
crease should taper only slightly.

Colorado's population growth due to net in-
migration has historically equaled that due to
natural increase. The reasons most often stated
for moving to a state such as Colorado, employ-
ment opportunity, climate, recreation, retire-
ment and so on, should continue to exist through
1990. As such, there is little reason to expect
that the trends in migration of persons should
change significantly in the next twenty years.
Colorado should continue to grow and prosper
much as it has in the last several decades. 11

y

Wilbur Smith and Associates, "Economic Forecast: Popula-
tion and Motor Vehicle Trends", July, 1971, pp. 19-21.

-3-