That amounted to an increase of 1.9 percent. Colorado's population now stands at 5,546,574 as of July 1, 2015, up more than a half -million from 2010.
Census data shows that indicators of the natural cause for population growth -- births minus deaths -- are holding steady. But the net migration rate has nearly doubled since 2011. In other words, people are moving to the state in droves.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that the country's "economic gravity" was shifting to the West -- including to Denver.
“Compared to eastern cities, those in the West don’t have the economic baggage that comes from an industrial legacy," Kenan Fikri, a researcher at Washington’s Brookings Institution, told Bloomberg.
The influx of new residents is largely focused on the Front Range, which has led to traffic congestion and a tight housing market. The state demographer predicts Colorado's population will reach 8 million by 2040.
Colorado had the second-fastest growth. Only North Dakota, a state that's been drawing workers to its oil fields, grew faster.
