BOISE, Idaho — The Census Bureau released preliminary population estimates Tuesday that show Idaho’s total population grew by 16% in 10 years.
Idaho’s growth between April 2010 and July 1, 2020, outpaced most other western states, according to the estimates. The western U.S. has grown by about 9% since 2010. Idaho’s growth also outpaced the 6% population increase nationwide.
The Census Bureau releases its population estimates to compare it to the final data from its decennial census. Differences between the estimates and Census counts are typically interpreted as error in the estimates and are used to inform research and methodological improvements over the decade, the Census Bureau said in a news release Tuesday.
The census is collected every 10 years and is used to determine congressional representation and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding.
As close to Dec. 31 as possible, the Census Bureau will deliver population counts to the president, as required by law. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the door-to-door process of census collection, and complications arose when President Donald Trump asked for undocumented immigrants to be excluded from the count. The census has always included everyone living in the United States at the moment they fill out the census.
On its website, the Census Bureau says it will send redistricting counts to states as close to April 1, 2021, as possible.
According to the July 1, 2020 estimates, Idaho grew by 259,331 people since 2010. Idaho’s voting population now makes up 75% of the population, according to the estimates. The voting-age population in the state is 1,375,870.
This story comes from our partners at the Idaho Press. Read more of their stories below.
