Total populations in the Washington region have grown since 2000, and the growth is expected to continue, according to Census Bureau estimates released today.
Since 2000, the population has grown 8 percent in Virginia, jumping from 7 million people in 2000 to 7.6 million people in 2006. In Maryland, the population grew 6 percent, from 5.2 million people to 5.6 million people, during the same period.
According to Brookings Institution demographer Audrey Singer, the most surprising growth can be seen in the District, which reversed a decades-long population decline to grow 1.7 percent since 2000.
Nationwide, population grew from 281 million to just below 300 million, or 6.4 percent, since 2000.
Singer said the region’s strong economy is driving growth in the region.
“This economy is really built on the federal government and all the associated work,” she said. As long as the federal government is spending money, people will stay near the capital.
She said the economy has fueled growth in places like Prince William County, which has seen tremendous expansion in recent years.
“What we’ve seen in the suburban areas is the fastest growth is happening at the edges, even beyond Fairfax,” Singer said. “If you look at county growth, you would see it on the edges.”
Suburbs closer to the District such as Montgomery County, for example, are seeing slower growth.
“It seems like there are some places where there are limits for growth,” she said. “In Montgomery County, there are a lot of things in place. This may account for Maryland’s slightly slower growth.”
Singer attributed the District’s population increase to economic revitalization in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Chinatown.
“A lot of neighborhoods are going through a process of change and growth,” Singer said.
