“U.S. Census Bureau released new official population numbers that put the District’s population at 702,455 as of July 1, 2018”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Edward Hoover

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released new official population numbers that put the District’s population at 702,455 as of July 1, 2018. The District’s population has risen every year since 2006 and has soared by more than 100,000 people since the 2010 Census. In February 2018, the month that the DC Office of Planning (OP) predicted the District would reach the 700,000 milestone, the Mayor celebrated the city’s continued growth with families at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

“Over the years, we’ve made big investments in making DC a great place live, do business, raise a family, and grow old. Our continued growth shows that those investments are paying off,” said Mayor Bowser. “As our growth continues, we’re going to stay very focused on finding new ways to ensure residents across all eight wards–those who just moved here and those whose families have lived here for generations–have access to the amenities and opportunities that make DC such a fantastic place to live and work.”

Data from the State Data Center at OP show that the District added 6,764 people from July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018. Population growth in the District during this year-long period was due to gains from net natural increase (births minus deaths; 4,104) and net migration (2,656). During this period, more than 9,700 babies were born in the District, continuing the increase in DC’s population of young children.

In fact, the District continued to show positive population growth for all three broad age categories. Of the 6,764 new residents citywide, 0-17 year-olds accounted for 36 percent (+2,422 residents); 18-64 year-olds accounted for 39 percent (+2,631 residents); and persons 65 years and over accounted for 25.0 percent (+1,711 residents).

Each year’s release of the new population estimates also brings revisions of the previous year’s estimates. For the District, it is important to note that the 2017 population estimate of 693,972 was revised upwards to 695,691. More in-depth demographic reports produced by the State Data Center can be found at planning.dc.gov.

To derive the population estimates, the U.S. Census Bureau uses a cohort component method which incorporates births and deaths from administrative records as well as estimates for net domestic and international migration. The State Data Center serves as the District’s official liaison with the U.S. Census Bureau. The State Data Center makes DC data available to the public through population and demographic data tables and analytical reports posted on OP’s website.”