Today, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Boulder’s official population count for the 2010 Census is 97,385. The newly released number represents a 2.9 percent increase from the 2000 population count, or 2,712 people.

The city estimates Boulder’s population to be around 103,600.

“We believe our actual population is higher than the Census number,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “Having an accurate population count ensures our share of funding, and is the base statistic that will be used for population-based decision making for the next 10 years.”

Along with the rest of the nation, there was much effort on behalf of the City of Boulder to achieve a higher return rate. The city’s individual goal was to exceed its previous return rate of 75 percent, and that was accomplished with a 77 percent return rate.

Previously, the 2000 decennial Census missed over 2,000 housing units and a significant portion of group quarters facilities. The population count at that time was 94,673.

“Last year, the Census put out an estimate that Boulder’s population had reached over 100,000, but the official count doesn’t match that estimate,” said Chris Meschuk, city planner. “We will review the Census data closely to see if there is anything to warrant a formal challenge to this number.”

The city conducted additional outreach and coordination on the 2010 decennial Census in hopes of a more accurate population count than in 2000.

A challenge can be submitted on the basis of errors in the community’s boundaries or placement of living quarters and population, or coverage errors where the Census erroneously removed data due to processing or duplicates. The city has until June 1, 2013 to submit a challenge to the Census Bureau.

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