Metro Population Makes Slight Increase

Apr 07, 02:04 PM

Current Headlines: By Drew Andersen, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Apr. 7--WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area experienced a slight gain in population from July 2005 to July 2006, but was down from the 2000 Census.

A release by the US Census Bureau on Thursday estimated that the population of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA increased by 406 to 162,263. Despite the 0.3 percent population gain, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA dropped one spot in the total population rankings among US Metropolitan Statistical Areas to No. 235 out of the 360 measured areas.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA includes Black Hawk, Bremer and Grundy counties.

Since July 2000, the Census Bureau estimated that the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA had lost 1,444 people, a dip of 0.9 percent from the 2000 estimate of 163,707. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA has dropped eight spots in the US MSA rankings since 2000 when it ranked 226th.

The population drop of 1,444 since 2000 in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA was due mostly to a loss of 4,028 people to net migration -- the difference between the number of people who entered the state and the number of people who left the state. However, since 2005, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA lost only 77 total people to net migration.

The natural population increase -- total births minus total deaths -- for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA was 3,008 since 2000, with 12,499 births and 9,491 deaths. Since 2005, the natural population increased by 472, with 2,066 births and 1,594 deaths.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA ranked last among qualifying Iowa metro areas in terms of population increase percentage since 2005. The Des Moines-West Des Moines MSA saw the largest population increase among Iowa metro areas in terms of both total increase (10,864 people) and population increase (2.1 percent). The Des Moines-West Des Moines MSA was also the biggest gainer in Iowa since 2000, with a total population increase of 52,832 people or 11 percent.

Contact Drew Andersen at (319) 291-1418 or drew.andersen@wcfcourier.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

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