Colo. older, wiser

Census data show state has more Hispanics, seniors

Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 26, 2006 at midnight

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The face of Colorado midway through the decade was older, more diverse and better educated than five years ago.

Two new U.S. Census Bureau reports outline changes in the state since the U.S. Census count in 2000. Among the highlights:

• Colorado's Hispanic population is approaching 20 percent.

• The state has the second highest percentage of college-educated residents in the U.S.

• The number of seniors rose almost 12 percent.

The latest census estimates show Colorado's Hispanic population increased to more than 900,000 in 2005, or 19.5 percent of the state's residents. That's up 23 percent from 736,000 in 2000.

"We have seen a rise in the number of Latinos who have come into the metro area and now call it home," said Jeff Martinez, spokesman for the city of Aurora.

The number of Hispanic residents increased 48 percent in Arapahoe County, 36 percent in Adams County and 28 percent in Jefferson County, the report found. Denver's Hispanic population, the state's largest, rose 10 percent.

However, Adams County now has a slightly higher percent of Hispanic residents than Denver - 35 percent vs. 34.7 percent, according to the estimates.

"A lot of folks are moving north - Adams City, Commerce City, Brighton, Thornton," Martinez said. "I think a lot of it has to do with availability and affordability of the housing stock."

Larry Kallenberger, executive director of Colorado Counties Inc., said the county also has a strong Hispanic heritage.

"There's a cultural comfort in Adams County that's not much different than the cultural comfort you get being in west Denver," Kallenberger said.

The growth in the Hispanic population was not limited to the metro area. In Garfield County, the Hispanic population increased more than 50 percent during the past five years and now comprises 23 percent of the county's residents.

Lake County is now 41 percent Hispanic, and Eagle County, home to Vail, saw its Hispanic population rise more than 30 percent to account for 27 percent of its residents, according to the estimates.

Affordable housing in Garfield and Lake counties are the draw for Hispanic, West Slope workers.

In addition, the county has seen surge in oil and gas development, drawing workers, he said.

The state's black and Asian populations also grew during the five years, increasing 16 percent and 23 percent, respectively, the estimates showed.

Another census report, the American Community Survey, found that the number of college graduates in the state has risen to 35.5 percent, up from 33.8 percent in 2001, the first year the survey was conducted. That ranks Colorado No. 2 among states, behind Massachusetts.

One reason for the high ranking is the large number of people with college degrees who move to the state, state demographer Elizabeth Garner said.

An analysis of the Census data by the state demographer's office also found Colorado leads the nation in the number of residents who have any kind of college education - 64 percent, Garner said.

The state doesn't fare as well among high school graduates. About 89 percent of the state's adults had high school degrees in 2005, up from 87 percent in 2001, according to the survey of about 14,000 households in Colorado. However, the state only ranked 13th nationally.

Colorado remained a relatively young state - eighth youngest in the U.S. However, the aging process has begun, the census estimates found.

The population 65 years of age and older rose almost 12 percent between 2000 and 2005 with seniors now comprising 10 percent of the state's residents. That compares to an overall population increase of 8.5 percent for Colorado.

"We're still very small in our 65 plus, but we are starting to get larger," Garner said.

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