Inside DougCo's slow grow
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Douglas County is Colorado's Energizer Bunny.
- It keeps growing and growing and growing.
Between the lines: Well … kinda.
Why it matters: It's a tale of two growth trends.
- One that's just getting started.
- Another that's losing steam.
Driving the news: Douglas County added 6,464 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, the Colorado State Demography Office's newest estimates show.
- That put us second statewide in total gains, pushing the county's population to 399,589.
And get this: DougCo's 1.6% growth rate ranked fifth statewide.
- Only Elbert (4.1%), Weld (1.9%), Ouray (1.7%) and Archuleta (1.7%) counties grew faster.
Yes, but: That Energizer Bunny's slowing down.
- We added 8,456 residents the previous year.
- Quick math: 8,456 – 6,464 = 1,992 fewer new residents between those spans in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Zoom out: Colorado's hitting the brakes, too.
- Our state added just 23,725 residents between July 2024 and July 2025 — down from 75,892 the year before.
By the numbers: Still, if these were college football rankings, DougCo would have three teams in the Top 10.
- Lone Tree: Added 1,650 residents, ranking third statewide behind Colorado Springs and Johnstown.
- Castle Rock: Grew by 1,376 residents, ranking eighth.
- Parker: Added 1,240 residents and ranks ninth.
Catch up quick: RidgeGate's housing boom is fueling Lone Tree's surge.
- A new elementary school is set to open in fall 2027.
- The Lyric at RidgeGate neighborhood has roughly 1,900 homes planned.
The other side: Our established neighborhoods are aging, leaving fewer school-age kids.
- Looking at you, Highlands Ranch.
Unincorporated Douglas County — which includes Highlands Ranch — added 1,837 residents. That's a 0.9% increase, below the countywide number.
What they're saying: "We have all these schools with no new students," Douglas County School District planning specialist Christopher Meehan said at last week's State Demography Summit.
- The district consolidated six Highlands Ranch elementary schools into three this academic year.
The bottom line: DougCo's still growing.
- But where folks move matters just as much as how many arrive.