According to newly released US Census estimates for 2015, the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) officially surpassed the two million mark at some point last year to a grand total of 2,021,632 people. The Columbus MSA is still slightly smaller than Cincinnati’s regional population of 2.1 million people, but is likely to surpass Cleveland’s declining 2.06 million regional population sometime in 2016.
Local data analytics site AllColumbusData.com published a more detailed look at county data throughout Ohio, pointing out that Franklin County’s rapidly growing population of 1.251 million in 2015 will also likly surpass Cuyahoga’s 1.255 million people this year to become the largest county in the state.
“Franklin County’s natural growth rate destroys every other county in the state,” explains Jon Seymour of AllColumbusData.com. “It gains almost seven times that of Cuyahoga County, despite Cuyahoga having a larger population during this period, and nearly three times that of Hamilton County.”
The Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has projected that the Columbus region is conservatively expected to add 500,000 new residents in the three and a half decades between 2015 and 2050. The group has encouraged smart growth patterns, urban density infill and walkable mixed-use communities to best accommodate the influx of new residents.
Seymour pointed out that based upon the Columbus region’s average annual growth rate of 23,932 people between 2010 to 2015, we’re likely to surpass that 500,000 influx sometime before 2035, rather than 2050.
“Clearly that is going to be wrong, given that the metro should add almost half of that number just by 2020, and the trends are for even stronger growth with time, not less,” he stated. “If we’re planning for 500,000, we need to plan for it by 2030. By 2050, there will be close to double that figure added. I would think the figure being so underestimated will have long-term impacts as far as infrastructure goes.”
For more Columbus demographic analytics and ongoing updates, visit www.allcolumbusdata.com.
Skyline photo by 614skyline on Instagram.