Glendale population on the rise in latest U.S. Census Bureau figures

People wait for a free ride on Metrolink from the Glendale Station to downtown L.A. as part of the Los Angeles Union Station's 75th anniversary, on Saturday, May 3, 2014. Passengers received free rides back and forth to downtown Glendale and Downtown L.A.

May 22, 2014 11:45 AM PT

Glendale’s population has been on the rise, increasing to more than 196,000 in 2013, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday.

The roughly 4,000-person climb from about 192,000 in 2010 comes after Glendale’s population dropped below 200,000 that year during the latest Census. As a result, the city lost its coveted spot as the third largest municipality in Los Angeles County to fast-growing Santa Clarita.

Since annexing several pieces of land in 2012, Santa Clarita’s population has grown to more than 203,000, said Patrick Leclair, a Santa Clarita city planner.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual estimate pegs Santa Clarita at a population of about 180,000, but that’s because the bureau doesn’t have a record of the annexations to incorporate into its estimate, said Sarah Gibb, a Census statistician.

Although the 2000 Census counted fewer than 200,000 people in Glendale, officials for years used estimates from the U.S. Department of Finance that showed a larger, growing population. That changed when the 2010 Census count replaced those estimates.

Glendale’s population figures may continue to climb as more multi-family residential units are built south of the Ventura (134) Freeway. More than 3,800 units have been recently completed, are under construction or are in the entitlement process.

Cities with the largest numeric increase in population between 2012 and 2013, include New York City, which was up 61,440 people to about 8.4 million; Houston, which added approximately 35,200 people to nearly 196,000; and Los Angeles, which boosted its population by 31,525 to roughly 3.9 million.

The Census data released Thursday does not break down total population estimates into demographic categories, such as race or age.

Follow Brittany Levine on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine.

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