Colorado was the 4th-fastest growing state in 2014, Census says

(Photo: Courtesy Flickr user Zruda/Creative Commons)
<p>A sign welcomes travelers to Colorado near Montezuma in the southwestern part of the state. (Photo: Courtesy Flickr user <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zruda/12198484075/">Zruda</a>/Creative Commons)</p>

Colorado was the fourth-fastest growing state in the nation by population in 2014, U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday says.

North Dakota's population grew at the fastest clip at 2.2 percent, followed by 1.7 percent growth in Nevada and Texas.

North Dakota, in the midst of an oil boom, was the only Midwestern state among the top 10 fastest-growing, the Census Bureau notes. The rest were in the South and West.

The new Census data fits with a Colorado State Demography Office forecast for population growth released in November:

In the longer run, Colorado is forecast to grow at a slower rate, age rapidly, and become more racially and ethnically diverse. Colorado is currently growing around 1% per year, forecast to increase to 1.7% per year, and then slow to around 1% per year by 2040. Although Colorado's growth rate is forecast to slow, total population change is forecast to increase to approximately 100,000 per year through 2025 and then slow to around 75,000 per year by 2040. The Colorado 2013 forecast for 2040 is 7.77 million.

Here are the top 10 fastest-growing states by percentage:

StatePercent Change
North Dakota2.16
Nevada1.71
Texas1.7
Colorado

1.59

District of Columbia1.51
Florida1.49
Arizona1.45
Utah1.38
Idaho1.34
South Carolina1.27

And here are the top 10 fastest-growing states by numeric increase:

StateNumeric Increase
Texas451,321
California371,107
Florida292,986
Georgia102,584
Arizona96,487
North Carolina95,047
Washington87,788
Colorado83,780
South Carolina60,553
Virginia55,944