Leander has reached a statistical and financially important milestone, by the federal government’s count.
The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notified the city of Leander it has an official population of more than 25,000 and, as a result, will begin receiving its own labor force statistics.
The population milestone marker was reached a year and a half ago, in July 2008, when the city’s population was 25,424. Since 2000, the city has averaged 11.4 percent annual population growth.
Leander Economic Development Director Kirk Clennan said, based on the average of more than 1,800 new Leander residents a year, the city’s current population is about 29,000.
The Nine-Year Detailed Table by the U.S. Census Bureau provides a summary of Leander’s population changes from April 2000 to July 2008.
“Leander wants to make the most of this in-migration,” City Manager Biff Johnson said, and added the city will use this to work toward preserving the city’s history while managing its growth and working toward a sustainable future.
The change in the city’s population status with the bureaus means the city will receive information about its labor and workforce as a separate entity from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission, beginning in March. Until now, the city’s labor force numbers were estimated and included with the Williamson County work force.
Assistant City Manager Sharon Johnson said the change is beneficial for many in the city.
“This will enable civic and business leaders to gain a better perspective on daytime and nighttime populations, traffic patterns and other influence,” she said.
Surpassing the 25,000 person-threshold also means Leander and the growing other cities become eligible for a variety of public funding programs, including the Emergency Food and Shelter Program under the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and the Labor Surplus Area program under the Department of Labor-Employment and Training Administration.
The population data also comes into consideration during political redistricting and regional, state and national elections.
Clennan said the official recognition of the population threshold allows residential analysts more access to relevant data about the city’s demographic profile.
As part of the continued updating process by the U.S. Census Bureau, there will be a January 2010 population estimate issued for Leander, and other new areas that reached the 25,000 population marker recently on March 19.