The census numbers are in and it has confirmed what many Coloradoans already know: population in the state is booming. Released on Monday, census figures shows that Denver's suburbs have surged in the last 10 years, and the ethnic landscape of the state is changing. The Hispanic population grew 73 percent and the Asian population grew 68 percent. In the first year that people could mark more than one race on their census forms, 2 percent, or 114,612 people, indicated they were biracial, and 122,187 people, or 3 percent indicated they were multiracial. Douglas County, home to the sprawling planned community of Highlands Ranch, grew the fastest, posting a 191 percent increase in population. Rounding out the top three were Elbert and Park, both on the fringe of southern metropolitan Denver. Douglas County spokeswoman Kristin French credited the boost to the county's location between Denver and Colorado Springs and the opening of a major office park that has drawn a variety of companies. Steve Elsen, 35, of Highlands Ranch, said that the main reason he and his wife left Denver for Douglas County was to start a family. "There's nothing that's not in Highlands Ranch, from recreation, good schools, good day care, great churches," he said. "The growth out here with the malls and activities has been so much that we rarely make it back into downtown." Population in three counties passed 500,000: Denver, Jefferson and El Paso counties, the figures showed. Five out of the 63 counties lost population. Colorado's overall population totaled 4,311,882, up 31 percent, the Census Bureau reported. The numbers are part of the Census Bureau's once-a-decade survey of Americans. They will be used to redraw political boundaries and distribute money for federal programs like Medicaid. Additional data will be released in phases to detail information such as age, gender, average income, education and housing issues. "Each person that we counted in Colorado on average means an additional $165 in federal aid for the state of Colorado," Gov. Bill Owens said. That federal funding will go to projects that will help citizens deal with the growth, including building more highways and schools. Colorado's population growth is tied to an economic shift from a reliance on natural resources, such as oil, to the growth of high-tech, telecommunications and service industries. Its scenic beauty is a bonus, attracting a growing number of Americans who emphasize the environment they live in as much as the jobs the hold. "It’s a beautiful state. Why wouldn't you want to live here. It's gorgeous," Douglas County resident Heather Gallagher said. "If you're going to move to this community, you have to know that it's going to grow, and its going to get bigger." "We have, over and over, heard stories of people who are in their 50s who've done very well in their business in Iowa or Minnesota or California. They travel to the state and say, 'Hey, I can move today, continue to moonlight or telecommute,"' state demographer Jim Westkott said. "Some start new firms." John Singh gave up a truck driving business in Sacramento and moved to Colorado in 1994, where he and his wife opened an Indian grocery store in Aurora. "There's too many people over there," he said. Eagle and Summit also were in the top 10, with growth fueled by a second-home construction industry. Archuleta County, home to the Wolf Creek ski area, ranked fifth, growing 85 percent to 9,898 people, although county commissioners were hoping to top 10,000. With retirees and baby boomers arriving from as far as New York or Louisiana, more residents want to telecommute, Archuleta County Commissioner Gene Crabtree said. However, high-speed DSL Internet connections aren't available in Archuleta. "That's one of the problems we're having," he said. "We don't have the optic fibers to help them out as much as we could. We're so far out, we're going to be last on the list to get it." Denver County, landlocked by a constitutional amendment, saw an 19 percent increase in population, which could be attributed to Denver International Airport, and the redevelopment of a former Air Force base. "So many cities in the East are not growing and losing population," Mayor Wellington Webb said. "The census validates that as Colorado's capital city, we're growing in population, growing in jobs."