Population (Census Information & Growth Projections)

The population for the City of Woodland is generally based on the census which is performed every 10 years. The census collects data from the occupants of each housing unit and that data forms the basis for population projections for the next 10 years.

(Taken from the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Table 3-2 except * which is the 2020 census number)

For each year between a census, the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) works with each jurisdiction to track changes to their housing stock. For example, each year, the City of Woodland completes a form telling the OFM the number of housing units built in the city, what types of units were built, and whether any of the existing units were demolished or destroyed (by fire etc.). 

The OFM collects this data from each jurisdiction and calculates the annual growth based on the community's number of "people per household" multiplied by the number of each new housing units built. This population calculation is released each April as the revised population estimate for that year. (A copy of the 2022 OFM population estimate is attached below.)

In order to plan for Woodland's growth, the city attempts to use the best information available at that time, as the basis for updating a document or plan. For this reason, each planning document the city produces will tend to have slightly different population projection numbers. For example, the Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2016 and covers the years 2016 through 2036, while the updated Water Plan was adopted in 2020 and covers the years 2020 through 2040. The Water Plan also serves land that is outside of the Woodland city limits, therefore the projected population served by the water system in 2040 is larger (in service area and population served) than the projected 2036 population discussed in the City's 2016 Comprehensive Plan. The good news is that all three documents used an annual population growth rate of 2.3%.

As part of the 2023 comprehensive plan update process, staff presented a short presentation to the City Council on March 6th, 2023.  As a result of that presentation, the council opted for staff to use a population growth rate of 2.7% based on the City's historical population growth since the year 2000. As a result, staff will be using the 2022 population estimated of 6,575, the city will plan for a 2043 population of 11,505 citizens.