Metro area population grows by 11,000 in past year

The Tulsa metro area population grew by nearly 11,000 people in the past year, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tulsa metropolitan statistical area population grew 1.1 percent, from an estimated 970,107 to 981,005 from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015.

It was the largest one-year increase in population this decade in the Tulsa metro area.

Prior annual metro area population increases have averaged 7,532 this decade.

Migration from outside the U.S. accounted for 1,589 of the new residents to the metro area.

Migration from within the U.S. to the Tulsa metropolitan area accounted for 4,807 of the new residents, with births accounting for the balance of the gains. The Tulsa metropolitan statistical area includes the populations of Tulsa, Rogers, Wagoner, Creek, Osage, Okmulgee and Pawnee counties.

Down the turnpike, the Oklahoma City metropolitan area grew by 20,833 people, or 1.6 percent to 1,358,452 people during the same one year period ending July 1, 2015.

Compared with other metro cities in the U.S., Oklahoma City and Tulsa ranked 41st and 80th respectively in growth rate.

The Villages, Florida, a metro area west of the Orlando metro area, was the nation’s fastest-growing metro area for the third year in a row, as its population increased 4.3 percent between 2014 and 2015. It was joined in the top 20 by five others in the Sunshine State: Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford and Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island.

The Census Bureau also released county-level population estimates, which show that Tulsa County was the eighth fastest-growing county in the state.

The Tulsa County population increased 1.4 percent from 630,428 to 639,242 people during the one-year period ending July 1.

Oklahoma County grew by 1.3 percent, or from 766,845 to 776,864 in the past year.

Canadian County, just west of Oklahoma County, was the fastest-growing county in the state at a rate of 3 percent.

Meanwhile, 33 counties in the state lost population in the past year, according to the Census Bureau report.

The population in Comanche County decreased by 577 people to 124,648.

Cimarron County, in the Panhandle, shrunk at the fastest rate, losing 3.1 percent of its population in the past year for a total of 2,216.

County population change, 2014-2015

Area county population, change

Fastest growing counties