Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home’s population grew to 9,090 this year, an increase of 30 and the largest population estimate in Sweet Home’s history, according to preliminary 2015 population estimates released last week by the Portland State University’s Population Research Center.
The official estimate will be released on Dec. 15, said city Planning Services Manager Laura LaRoque.
The population estimate is for July 1, 2015.
On July 1, 2014, the population estimate for Sweet Home was 9,060, and 8,925 on April 1, 2010.
“We’re not growing at an exponential rate,” LaRoque said. “We’re holding the course, steady.’
In building, Sweet Home is steadily getting busier, with the number of permits for new homes about doubling in two years.
“It’s not just new construction,” LaRoque said. “It’s remodeling too.”
As of Oct. 20, Sweet Home had issued 30 permits for new single-family dwellings and nine new manufactured homes this year, said Molly Laycock, permit technician.
In all of 2014, the city issued 22 permits for new single-family dwellings and nine manufactured homes.
In 2013, the city issued 15 permits for new single-family dwellings and four manufactured homes.
Linn County’s population grew by 1 percent from 2014 to 2015, from 119,705 to 120,860.
The state’s population grew by 1.3 percent, from 3,962,710 to 4,013,845.
Population growth consists of two factors, natural increase and net migration. Natural increase is the number of births minus deaths, and net migration subtracts the number of people moving out from the number moving in.
Approximately 80 percent of Oregon’s population growth is from gains in migration, according to the population report. During the past several years, natural increase has been contributing a shrinking share of population increase.
Because of a declining fertility rate, the number of annual births has increased only slightly in recent years, and the number of deaths has risen at a faster pace due to a wave of aging “baby boomers.”
Linn County was among the 10 counties contributing to 88 percent of Oregon’s population growth. Multnomah and Washington counties added the highest number, more than 10,000. Clackamas, Deschutes, Marion, and Lane counties contributed more than 3,000, while Jackson county added more than 2,000. Linn, Yamhill and Benton each added more than 1,000.
More than one-third of Oregon’s 36 counties have a natural decrease, more deaths than births. In those counties, net migration has offset the decreases.
Deschutes County had the largest growth rate, a 2.6 percentage increase. Some 34 of Oregon’s 242 cities experienced population growth at rates higher than the state’s.
Incorporated cities gained more than 32,000 people and combine for a population of 2,776,860. Eleven cities had population decreases of five to 110, with most losses attributed to a decrease in group living situations, such as jails, college dormitories and nursing homes, the removal of mobile homes or demolition of housing units.
Fifty-eight cities reported no change in population.
The Population Research Center produces annual population estimates for Oregon and its counties and cities using the most recent available data.
The estimates are based on changes in the number of housing units, persons residing in group facilities, births and deaths, students enrolled in public school, persons employed, Medicare enrollees, state and federal tax exemptions, driver’s license holders and other administrative data.
Statewide, housing and group quarters population data are collected from annual questionnaires sent directly to cities and counties. If the PRC does not receive updated annual data from a city, its population estimate remains the same as the previous year.
The annual population estimates are used for revenue distribution to local governments and in program administration.