2004 Metro Population estimates just released!!

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:27 pm

Here she goes (hot from the US Census)..

Metro poplulations 2004:

Omaha: 803,801 (an increase of nearly 11,000 from 2003!

)

Metros of similar size as Omaha:

Tulsa: 881,815
Albuquerque: 781,447
Tucson: 907,059
Grand Rapids, MI: 767,539
Honolulu: 889,593
Fresno: 866,772

Smaller metros of regional interest:

Little Rock: 636,636
Wichita: 584,671
Des Moines: 511,878
Lincoln: 278,201
Sioux Falls, SD: 203,324 (Sioux Falls cracks 200,000

)

Larger metros of regional interest:

Dallas-Ft Worth: 5,700,256 (

)
Kansas City: 1,925,319..

One other metro of regional interest:

Oklahoma City: 1,144,327

And for the record..Omaha's CMSA (includes Dodge county):839,897..Round it up to 840,000

..

Your thoughts..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:48 pm

Glad we're growing but its still only 1.3%.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:56 pm

Yes..But that 1.3% represents growth for just one year 2003 to 2004..

Take that 1.3% growth rate and stretch it out over a 10 year census measure and Omaha is growing at a 15.6% clip..That my friend is VERY healthy growth and well above the national average..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:04 pm

I won't lie to you, the day the census releases the annual metro estimates is one of my favorite times of the year.

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:22 pm

The pace of 15.6% for 10 years is a more agressive growth rate than I have seen in many places on the east coast!

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:45 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:I won't lie to you, the day the census releases the annual metro estimates is one of my favorite times of the year.

Me too!

And Finn is correct about that 15.6% growth rate. Omaha grew at a 1.34% clip in 1 year. A positive spike as this rate far outpaces cities such as Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa for the year..

Lets look a bit closer into Omaha's metro numbers:

2000 Census population: 767,041
2004 Census estimate: 803,301..

Omaha has added 36,260 to it's metro population since 2000 and the 4 year growth rate equals 4.73%. So overall through 2004, Omaha is growing at about a 12% clip. If the growth spike seen between 2003-2004 continues, it is very possible Omaha could grow by about 15% by the 2010 census. But the current 12% clip is very healthy and right at the national average..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Post by **Brad** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:18 pm

NO FAIR

Metros of similar size as Omaha:

Tulsa: 881,815
Albuquerque: 781,447
Tucson: 907,059
Grand Rapids, MI: 767,539
Honolulu: 889,593
Fresno: 866,772

I have seen some of these cities on COPS but not Omaha.

Sodak · Post by **Sodak** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:39 pm

The Nebraska side of the metro continues to outpace the growth of the Iowa side of the metro as well. The growth rate would be higher if the Iowa side was growing as fast as the Nebraska side. Still, its positive that all eight metro counties are growing.

GoWest · Post by **GoWest** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:46 pm

Brad wrote:NO FAIR

Metros of similar size as Omaha:

Tulsa: 881,815
Albuquerque: 781,447
Tucson: 907,059
Grand Rapids, MI: 767,539
Honolulu: 889,593
Fresno: 866,772

I have seen some of these cities on COPS but not Omaha.

They tried to film COPS in Omaha a few years ago but the OPD turned them down. They said they didn't like they way some cops showboated.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:57 pm

Very satisfying numbers for Omaha.

I'm impressed with Sioux Falls. I wonder if it might catch Lincoln (which is not exactly a slowpoke in the growth department).

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:47 pm

Lincoln certainly was this year. They had a gain of a little over 1500 people (about 0.5%) if I'm not mistaken.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:49 pm

Holy Cow! Look at the census bureau's number for Grand Island:

Grand Island, NE -- 69685

Just shy of 70,000. That's the number for the Hall/Hamilton County micropolitan area. Now all we need is for the city of Grand Island to pass 50,000 (currently 44,000) and Nebraska will be a 4 metro state (if you include the Sioux City metro area which spills into Nebraska).

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:57 pm

Wow, I too love this day. I'm glad we still have a very positive growth rate going. Its good to see both metro stats above 800,000 now. Hopefully We can start to grow a little faster so we can get just about to 1 million (or close enough to round up to 1 million). I can't believe Grand Island is about 70,000 now. Thats wonderful. Hopefully we can see a few more cities above 100,000 in Nebraska (other than Omaha and Lincoln).

DMRyan · Post by **DMRyan** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:17 pm

We need to declare April 14th some kind of Census Holiday. Everyone is excited, the bunnies are |expletive| outside and the Omaha people are mating like chinchillas.

OmahaCowboy, your quick fingers beat me to it. I was typing out a lot of information about Omaha's new numbers earlier this morning only to find out that you had it covered.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:24 pm

Woah! I just looked at Lincoln's numbers myself. It's nice that it's still on the plus-side, but what the heck happened? Lincoln was adding about 3,500 annually in the 90s. Percentage-wise in 2004, Lincoln lagged way behind not only Omaha, but also Grand Isalnd, Kearney, Hastings and Lexington. Did Lincoln lose a major employer last year?

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:31 pm

They may be just adjusted last years Lincoln figure with a lower 2004 number.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:32 pm

edsas wrote: Did Lincoln lose a major employer last year?

Gallup, but I thought a lot were commuting back and forth.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 12:52 am

DMRyan wrote:We need to declare April 14th some kind of Census Holiday. Everyone is excited, the bunnies are |expletive| outside and the Omaha people are mating like chinchillas.

OmahaCowboy, your quick fingers beat me to it. I was typing out a lot of information about Omaha's new numbers earlier this morning only to find out that you had it covered.

Hey, we need a reason to breed here (um..well..I personally don't need a reason

)..I do like the Census Holiday idea, every April (assuming our cities growth rate gives us something to celebrate)..

DMRyan..It seems you and I are junkies for this stuff and just wait for that US Census press release. Every since April 1st, I've been stalking the US Census web site for this information. Cut from the same cloth in this regard

..

PS Edit: For the record, some of the Gallup employees commute between Omaha and Lincoln. Many others moved to Omaha..Just an FYI..Did it affect Lincoln's much slower annual growth rate for '04? I dunno..But Tulsa grew at an even slower snail pace between 2003-2004 at .23%..Ouch!..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:45 am

Yeah, about half of us Gallupians (?) moved up here. Of the remaining half many quit/retired the remaining couple hundred stayed in Lincoln. The busses which run every day will stop this year or next after which there will likely be several more families move up here. My dad finally got sick of leaving at 6am and getting home at 7pm and is moving up here as well.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:52 am

Personally, I'd like to see us adding 150-200K per decade. Unfortunately, that's not happening now. Anyways, even though we're 'growing'... it's still slower than molasses. I'm not smelling the roses quite yet.

OmahaRules · Post by **OmahaRules** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 3:47 am

Its still just over 100k thats pretty good right? I don't know I have mixed feelings on this some people act like its good news others seem to think its not that good.. For those who are big numbers guys what should I take from this? Are we on pace to hit 1 million? And what are your estimates on the time?

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:16 am

At this pace we'll hit one million in just over 10 years.

I could be wrong, but I believe our previous ten year growth percentage was around 12%, so that's a pretty healthy good gain.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:21 am

If you look at the Omaha CSA it usually goes be the year. In 2003 the CSA was over 830,000. Now for 2004 it's at close to 840,000. So by that we should be at 900,000 for sure by 2010.

AND if you look at the Omaha and Lincoln areas together it's at 1,118,098. I can't wait until that's an official CSA.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:28 am

CountOfMC wrote:Personally, I'd like to see us adding 150-200K per decade. Unfortunately, that's not happening now. Anyways, even though we're 'growing'... it's still slower than molasses. I'm not smelling the roses quite yet.

I'm sure many of us would like to see this as well (although a growth rate that robust would create infrastructure problems for Omaha in managing that kind of spurt). However, for Omaha to add 150-200k over a decade would mean a 20-25+% growth rate and I'm sorry..There is not a city in our region save Austin, Tx that is growing at this clip..

As for Omaha's current rate of growth..It is VERY healthy. Right at the national average of 12% and if this last year was any indication, that % is trending upward. What does this all mean for Omaha? It means Omaha is a healthy, viberant, economically viable metropolitan area..Open for business and commerce, expansion and more entertainment options..Simply stated, Omaha is a metro on the RISE..

My predictions for metro growth by the 2010 Census..A 12-15% overall growth rate with Omaha's metro population at 850,000 on the low end, 885,000 on the high end by the end of this decade..My prediction for the Omaha metro to hit 1 million would be around 2018 or 2019 based on a continued 14-15% growth rate..Which IS reasonable not unrealistic..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:05 pm

Are you guys looking on Census.gov. I can't seem to find it under metropolitan areas.

DMRyan · Post by **DMRyan** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:16 pm

Look under estimates.

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 3:25 pm

I've been looking under estimates but can't seem to find the right Popular Table in the drop down box. There is also a list that comes down from the orange colored Estimates Data box. I can see data on the counties and the 100 fastest growing.

Don't know why I am having such a hard time finding the metro area populations.

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 3:27 pm

I didn't find them either. I assumed everyone was taking the county populations that are given and adding them together to get the metro populations.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 3:30 pm

Projectman..

Here is the link for the US Census tables you are looking for..

http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/C ... 04-01.html

How I got there..Go to the news press release section then click on the 04/14/05 2004 county estimate story..

And yes..You must add the metro counties together to get the 2004 metro estimates..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:37 pm

OK....I was looking for the metro areas all listed out and ranked in order like they do for the city proper information.

Thanks

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:47 pm

Cowboy I am impressed that you know the names of the counties in all those other metro areas and that you added them all up. Or is there some designation in the list that shows which counties belong in metro areas?

I thought well maybe they are just adding up all the counties for Omaha's metro but then I thought about all the other cities so I continued to search for the list.

Do you have a list somewhere handy that you know all of the counties?

Well anyway, I am glad we officially cracked 800,000. If it weren't for the 80's population decline due to the recession, Enron leaving, the farm and savings and loan crisis maybe we would be closer to 900,000.

Oh well we have recovered nicely.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:16 am

You are welcome projectman..

Regarding the metros and their designated counties..I already knew Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines..The others, I went to the US Census section under metro areas and their components..They have a refreshed listing of all metro areas and counties included. From there, I added up the totals for the new 2004 metro estimates..As did DMRyan..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

AZCorey · Post by **AZCorey** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 3:33 pm

Wow....Wichita is really growing pretty fast...I went to school there in 1990...and they were I think at around 350,000!!

Now, you wanna talk about a HORRIFIC skyline??? Check out Wichita's....you should never complain again after seeing theirs. Omaha looks like NYC in comparison!!

Seriously, I've said this before, but I just want to encourage you all to really take a step back and appreciate the city you live in....since I left in 98 it is almost a different city when I come home to visit....you have made such progress, and more is on the way! There's always so much talk on here about wanting taller and more and more and more, and I would love to see a real killer skyline in DTO also, but, the fact is, that you all live in a pretty damn cool city for it's size....you have a lot there to be proud of, and obviously by my participation on this site Omaha still has a very special place in my heart....so rather than wishing for more today, just take a few moments to appreciate what's already there and what's in the works.....because it's a much better city than it was in 98....there wasn't much happening then!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!!

AZCorey

DMRyan · Post by **DMRyan** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:01 pm

but, the fact is, that you all live in a pretty damn cool city for it's size

So true. I would gladly pick Omaha over any other city of comparible size (and some even larger cities) if it came down to a decision. Omaha packs quite a punch in terms of comparisons with other cities of under 1,000,000.

Wichita really isn't growing all that quickly. It only added 1,980 people from last year, which is below the national growth rate. The problem lies with the reliance on the aircraft building industry. It's a boom or bust cycle in Wichita. Obviously, the metro is big enough to weather the storm without falling into major decline, but a bust cycle in Wichita equates to slow growth.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 12:06 am

Nice!..

..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:21 am

CountOfMC wrote:Personally, I'd like to see us adding 150-200K per decade. Unfortunately, that's not happening now. Anyways, even though we're 'growing'... it's still slower than molasses. I'm not smelling the roses quite yet.

How much more traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and ugly new strip malls do you want? Slow and steady works just fine for me. If I want big buildings and 24 hour nightlife I go visit one of the coasts.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:59 am

Omaha Cowboy wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:I won't lie to you, the day the census releases the annual metro estimates is one of my favorite times of the year.
Me too!

And Finn is correct about that 15.6% growth rate. Omaha grew at a 1.34% clip in 1 year. A positive spike as this rate far outpaces cities such as Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa for the year..

Lets look a bit closer into Omaha's metro numbers:

2000 Census population: 767,041
2004 Census estimate: 803,301..

Omaha has added 36,260 to it's metro population since 2000 and the 4 year growth rate equals 4.73%. So overall through 2004, Omaha is growing at about a 12% clip. If the growth spike seen between 2003-2004 continues, it is very possible Omaha could grow by about 15% by the 2010 census. But the current 12% clip is very healthy and right at the national average..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Actually, when you add the numbers up correctly, Metro Omaha's growth rate for the decade so far has been 4.5% (803,201 for the 8 counties + Dodge county on 4-1-2000 compared with 839,867 fifty-one months later in the 2004 census). That works out to about a 10.6% growth rate if carried out over a full 120 months (10 years). That would take a 9 county metro area to 888,260 on 4-1-2010. Remember, these figures (except for the 4-1-2000 numbers) are estimates, not based on an actual official census, which happens only once every 10 years.

For the heck of it, at a 10.6% decade growth rate for the forseeable future, metro Omaha (9 counties) would get to 982,415 in 2020 and 1 million in 2023. Gosh, the World-Herald actually did the math correctly! Stop the presses!

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:03 am

all of the rest of the math was made assuming this year is year 1 in a ten year cycle.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:36 am

nativeomahan wrote:How much more traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and ugly new strip malls do you want? Slow and steady works just fine for me. If I want big buildings and 24 hour nightlife I go visit one of the coasts.

Strip malls make me gag. I think the biggest thing for me is that I just want us to hit 1 million after which I really don't care what happens... if you know what I mean, Vern. We're so close, but so far away at the same time.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:46 am

CountOfMC wrote:
nativeomahan wrote:How much more traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and ugly new strip malls do you want? Slow and steady works just fine for me. If I want big buildings and 24 hour nightlife I go visit one of the coasts.
Strip malls make me gag. I think the biggest thing for me is that I just want us to hit 1 million after which I really don't care what happens... if you know what I mean, Vern. We're so close, but so far away at the same time.

About 18 years close...or far away. I don't need to be from a city of 1 million or 10 million to feel important. You find true happiness from within, not without.