New State/Local Data for April 2007
According to population estimates released for all metro areas by the U.S. Census Bureau, Denver, Colorado Springs and Greeley were all in the top 100 metropolitan areas in terms of absolute population increase, while Denver was ranked the 21st most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. for 2006, at 2.4 million residents. In terms of percentage change in total metropolitan area population from 2000-2006, Greeley was ranked 2nd in the nation (39.8% increase over the six-year period); Grand Junction 46th (14.8% increase); Colorado Springs 67th (11.5%); Denver 76th (10.5%); and Loveland/Fort Collins 85th in the nation (9.8%).
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released estimates of personal income at the county level for 2005. Estimates of per capita personal income for Colorado counties range from $77,970 for Pitkin County to $17,999 for Saguache County for 2005. Personal income is defined as income for all persons from all sources, including wages and salaries, employer-provided health insurance, dividends and interest income, social security benefits, and other types of income.
Released by the Alzheimer's Association, this report provides state and national level estimates of the incidence of Alzheimer's disease across the U.S. The number of Americans surviving into their 80s and 90s is expected to grow because of national demographics, as well as advances in medicine, medical technology and other social and environmental improvements. Since the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer's disease increase with advancing age, the number of persons with the disease is expected to grow as a proportion of this larger older population. The publication estimates a 47% increase in the number of Coloradans aged 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease between 2000 and 2010, with 72,000 afflicted. This increase is the highest in the country (and tied with Alaska), and followed by Utah at 45% and Wyoming at 43%.
In Colorado, the number of deaths due to Alzheimer's disease in 2003 was estimated at 899, with an incidence per 10,000 people of 19.8, slightly lower than the national incidence of 21.8. The rate of cognitive impairment in Colorado's nursing home residents in 2005 was estimated to be: 26% with no impairment; 30% with mild impairment; and 44% with moderate to severe impairment. This is roughly comparable to the national average. Lastly, the report finds that the direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias, including Medicare and Medicaid costs and the indirect cost to business of employees who are caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's, amount to more than $148 billion annually.
About 56 million Americans, including more than 900,000 Coloradoans, are medically disenfranchised, that is, "at great risk of not having a 'medical home' to address their basic health needs," according to a new report, published by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Robert Graham Center. The report states that even those lucky enough to have good health insurance face a large and growing shortage of primary health care options.
The report finds that health centers not only break down the barriers to health care in America's poorest communities, they also customize their services to the unique health and cultural needs of the communities they serve. Most health centers have broadened the meaning of health, with a comprehensive approach that can include other services such as case management, transportation, translation, outreach, dental and mental health services. Although health centers are not the only source of safety net ambulatory care, they make up the largest single source of safety net ambulatory care providers. Health centers in Colorado reduced the number of medically disenfranchised by at least 30% in 2005. An appendix to the report lists the numbers of medically disenfranchised for those counties without health centers.
National Reports with Local Relevance:
The U.S. Census Bureau released a national report that extends measures of well-being beyond traditional income measures, to provide a more complete and detailed picture of household living conditions in the United States than income alone provides, for the time period 1992-2003. These include:
- appliances and electronic goods, such as possession of refrigerators, landline and cellular telephones, and computers;
- housing conditions, including level of satisfaction with overall home repair, adequate living space, and sufficient privacy;
- neighborhood conditions and community services, such as: road conditions and the presence of abandoned buildings; satisfactory police, fire, and medical services; and attitudes towards local schools;
- meeting basic needs, including the ability to pay bills in full, to avoid eviction, and to have sufficient food; and
- the expectation of help, should need arise, from friends, family, and the community.
The Trust for Public Land, a non-profit conservation organization, released a report on the economic benefits land conservation can bring to communities, with chapters on:
- the impact of parks and open spaces on property taxes;
- economic benefits of farmland preservation;
- conserving forests to protect water;
- environmental and economic benefits of preserving forests within urban areas: air and water quality; and
- competitiveness: parks and open space as factors shaping a location's success in attracting companies, labor supplies, and retirees.
Patterns of migration, in conjunction with the age structure and ethnic composition of the non-metro population, will influence future development patterns. While today's non-metro America is less ethnically diverse and a bit older than the rest of the country, several population trends are increasing rural ethnic diversity and further increasing the rural share of the elderly.
Non-metro America is less ethnically diverse and older than the rest of the country, although demographic trends point to some changes ahead, including:
- Non-metro populations will continue to be older than metro populations because a greater proportion of retirees are moving to non-metro counties than to metro counties, and because older people account for a larger share of the population in counties that are losing residents.
- The two minority groups having significant shares of foreign-born residents have the highest growth rates. In non-metro counties, the Hispanic growth rate was 18% over 2000-05, and the Asian growth rate was 7.1%. Hispanic population growth is counteracting persistent population decline in many rural counties, especially in the Midwestern and Great Plains states.
- New and diverse residents from abroad are revitalizing small towns economically and demographically. At the same time, their presence signals changes in local economic structure and raises concerns about barriers to assimilation and changing and increasing demands for social services.
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