A second straight year of moderate growth has put Pueblo County's population above the 165,000 mark, according to 2016 estimates released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pueblo County added an estimated 2,006 people last year to push its population to 165,123, according to the census bureau.

It was the second year of moderate population growth after years of little to no growth since the 2007-09 U.S. recession. In 2015, the county grew by 1,767 people.

The latest census release covers population for counties and metro areas. In Pueblo County, the county and the Pueblo metro area are the same.

The growth reflects in part the area's economic recovery since the recession as well as its growing appeal to newcomers, according to Chris Markuson, director of economic development geographical information systems for Pueblo County.

On the economy, "I'm pretty confident Pueblo is well over the recession and that our economic numbers, our wage numbers and job numbers are definitely on the rise. We are a little slower (to grow) than some of the metro areas but we are outpacing other communities our size," such as Grand Junction, he said.

Statewide, Weld and El Paso counties posted the fastest population growth rates in 2016, according to the census bureau. Weld's growth was driven in part by the oil and gas drilling boom around the Greeley area, which has since slowed. Colorado Springs, like Pueblo, is growing as its economy improves from the recession.

Elsewhere in Southern Colorado, a half-dozen counties added population, including Fremont, which grew by 733 people to 47,446. A handful of mostly smaller rural counties reported another year of slight to moderate population declines.

Statewide, Colorado last year grew by nearly 92,000 people to a population of 5.5 million. The state's growth rate of 1.7 percent was down from recent years. Pueblo County's growth rate was 1.2 percent.

The 2016 population estimates for cities are due to be released later this year. According to 2015 city population estimates, the city of Pueblo was home to 109,412 people, up about 1,300 people from 2014.

Pueblo West is not an incorporated city and, as a result, it is not included in the census bureau's annual estimate series but it also is growing. Pueblo West had a population of 29,637 as of the 2010 Census.

Pueblo County's population growth tracks with a 2015 forecast released by the state demography office.

The forecast calls for robust population gains for Colorado over the next 25 years that would extend to a lesser extent to the Pueblo area. Under the forecast, Pueblo County is expected to grow by 44,700 people to a population of 206,000 by 2040, according to the state. Colorado is expected to add more than 2 million people over the same period.

The growth forecast is based on the current pace of job growth and other factors such as birth and death rates for individual counties and the state.

ddarrow@chieftain.com