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The Metropolitan Council forecasts indicate that population, households and employment will continue to increase during the next
<br /> several decades. These forecasts are the basis for the Council's planning for future investments in regional facilities such as highways
<br /> and sewers. Regional commissions use the forecasts to design and stage their projects. The Council also uses the forecasts in other
<br /> decisions related to water resources, solid waste, housing and aging. Local communities use them to guide planning for local growth
<br /> and development.
<br /> REGIONAL SUMMARY
<br /> (forecasts are rounded to nearest 1,000)
<br /> Year Households Po ulation Emt)lovment
<br /> 1980 721,357 1,985,873 1,069,030
<br /> 1990 875,504° 2,288,7214 1,293,121
<br /> 2000 999,000 2,566,000 1,499,000
<br /> 2010 1,108,000 2,771,000 1,603,000
<br /> 2020 1,214,000 2,960,000 1,647,000
<br /> 4 Includes Northfield part of Dakota County which is not forecasted.
<br /> Region-wide, the numbers of people, households and jobs are expected to keep growing in the,next several decades, but at slower rates
<br /> than the 1980s. For example, the number of households grew 21.4 percent during the 1980s. But the growth rate is expected to slow
<br /> gradually between 1990 and 2020--from 14.1 percent in the '90s to 11.0 percent in the first decade of the next century and 9.5 percent
<br /> in the second.
<br /> The Council projects that in the year 2020, the region will have 1,214,000 households, 2,960,000 people and 1,647,000 jobs. Those
<br /> figures represent a 30-year increase of approximately 338,000 households, 671,000 people and 354,000 jobs. The forecasts are based
<br /> primarily on current trends and existing Council policies for managing growth in the region. The Council is using the forecasts to
<br /> update its overall planning framework for the region, the Metropolitan Development and Investment Framework. The numbers may be
<br /> updated if the Council revises its growth management policy in a way that would significantly affect future development patterns.
<br /> These forecasts are higher than the ones we did in the mid-1980s. The region grew faster than we expected in the second half of the
<br /> '80s. On the other hand, the smaller size of the post-baby-boom generations will probably outweigh any short-term growth spurts, so
<br /> the long-term trend will be for slower growth. Generally, the western half of the region (excluding the central cities) is expected to add
<br /> two-thirds more households (206,851) than the eastern half(122,886) between now and the year 2020. That is consistent with growth
<br /> trends of the last six decades. Growth in the northern and southern halves of the region, on the other hand, is anticipated to be more
<br /> comparable--a gain of 139,671 and 190,066.households, respectively. An increase in the number of households is often more significant
<br /> than population growth because households are more closely associated with the need for urban services such as roads;and sewers.
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