Bend’s population has topped more than 100,000 people, according to recently released statistics from Portland State University.

It’s the first time the university, whose Population Research Center is an authority on the state’s population estimates, shows Bend breaking the six-digit threshold at 100,992 residents as of July 1.

This is the second time Bend has been in the news for passing the 100,000 mark. That’s because an estimate in 2019 from the U.S. Census bureau put Bend at just over 100,000, said Ethan Sharygin, the director of the Population Research Center at PSU.

That same year, the research center estimated Bend’s population to be 92,840. The official population count at the conclusion of the 2020 U.S. Census, however, ended up being 99,178 as of April 1 of last year.

“The real measure of who was more accurate is when (the) 2020 census came in,” he said.

The research center has since revised its estimate to reflect this number from the U.S. Census, Sharygin said.

“I think Bend has crossed 100,000 now twice,” Sharygin said.

With a new revised number based on the U.S. Census, the research center shows Bend’s population grew from 99,453 on July 1 of last year to 100,922 on July 1 of this year, representing roughly a 1.5% increase, according to Huda Alkitkat, the population estimates program manager.

There are several things that can contribute to discrepancies between population estimates, Sharygin said.

For example, the research center takes into account school enrollment, drivers license registration and other factors as additional data, whereas the U.S. Census Bureau estimates rely more on demographic data.

Another difference is the research center may have better access to birth and death rate data directly from the Oregon Health Authority, though the difference is minor. The U.S. Census Bureau has more up-to-date information about migration directly from the IRS, whereas the research center experiences a time lag when receiving this information, Sharygin said.

The population growth is driven by a strong birth rate and more people moving to the area, Sharygin said. For comparison, statewide about 2,200 more people died than were born in the last year, according to the research center.

It is unclear whether Bend topping the 100,000 mark will have any direct impacts on things like access to state and federal funding, according to Bend’s Chief Financial Officer Sharon Wojda. Usually federal funding is tied to U.S. Census data, which still puts Bend at under 100,000.

With anything related to transportation funding, the next milestone will be when Bend hits 200,000, said Tyler Deke of the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Deschutes County as a whole has 203,390 residents, according to PSU, adding 4,131 people — a 2% increase — from 199,259 last year.

Redmond also is growing, adding more than 1,500 people to reach a population of 36,122 this year, according to the research center. The U.S. Census put Redmond at 33,274 in 2020.

Crook County also saw growth, reaching a population of 25,482 this year compared with 24,866 last year. That represents an increase of 2.48%, or 616 people.

Jefferson County grew the least of Central Oregon’s counties, growing 1.37%, or 336 residents, to reach 24,889 this year.