Longmont’s population is inching closer to 100,000 people, a move that could have implications in funding and perception, the city’s principal planner said this week.
The city’s Dec. 31, 2020 estimate put Longmont’s population at 99,570, city of Longmont’s Erin Fosdick, said. The U.S. Census April 1, 2020 estimate put the city’s population at 98,885.
“This is right in line with what I would expect based on the different time periods of the end of year estimates and an April count,” Fosdick said in an email.
The city has issued certificates of occupancy for 196 new housing units through October and based on an average household size of 2.4 people, the city could absorb 500 people this year, she said.
“That is getting close,” Fosdick said.
Meeting the 100,000 threshold could prove attractive to some businesses looking to move to a city with more amenities, Fosdick said. The city could draw more funding opportunities for mid-to-large level cities, she said.
“There are certain grants not available today but tomorrow could be,” Fosdick said.
There are also those who may not want Longmont to reach that plateau, she said. “Reaching 100,000 could be a cut off point for them,” Fosdick said.
She added that Longmont is not ready to seal an official population count. There are other numbers to be studied and the city wants to clear up a discrepancy in the number of housing units in Weld County that fell within Longmont’s borders.
Fosdick said the state demography has also flagged the same housing unit overcount in Weld County. The city is in talks with the state office to determine if there is a problem, she said. A consensus on the date for a meeting may come in early 2022, she said.
“We will be looking at household size and vacancy … as we dive into the data and will then use this information when preparing our estimates going forward,” Fosdick said in the email.
