Colorado’s population growth has slowed sharply this decade compared to last, and would have fallen even more except for a strong surge in international migration following the pandemic. But a sharp decline in the number of people moving to the U.S. from other countries, combined with outflows because of deportations and voluntary departures, is forcing state demographers to recalibrate their forecasts.

“We need to adjust expectations in terms of the low migration rates,” said Neal Marquez, State Forecast Demographer, during the 2025 Demography Summit held in Arvada on Nov. 7.

State and local officials will need to rethink how many schools are needed to accommodate a shrinking population of children and teenagers, how many adult workers will be available to fill jobs, including health

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