Census Data for Superior

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Superior a population of 13,387 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Superior a population of 12,483 people.

The town of Superior is located in Boulder County. The 2010 Census gave Boulder County; a population of 294,567 people. This means that Superior had 4.24% of the county's total population, making it Boulder's 5th most populous community.

At the same time, Colorado had a population of 5,029,196 people, meaning that Superior had 0.25% of the total population of Colorado - making it the state's 38th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Superior has a total area of 4 square miles [10.4 km²]. Of this total, 3.96 square miles [10.3 km²] is land, with the balance (1.03%) being water (0.04 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Boulder County has a land area of 726 square miles [1,881.1 km²]. At 3.96 square miles [10.3 km²], Superior has 0.55% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a town like Superior, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the town.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Superior reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Superior might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   39° 55' 52"   (or 39.93°)
  • Lon:   -105° 9' 32"   (or -105.16°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Superior had 4,698 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 12,483 people, this averages 2.66 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Superior had a land area of 3.96 square miles [10.3 km²]. This translates to 1,174 Housing Units per square mile [453.5 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Superior had 3,754 Housing Units, a population of 9,011 people and a land area of 3.95 square miles [10.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.4 people per Housing Unit and 944 Housing Units per square mile [364.8 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Superior and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Boulder County ...

The community of Superior is primarily located in Boulder County<4>. A portion of Superior extends into Jefferson County.

The county had a population of 294,567 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 12,483 people, Superior represented 4.24% of the county's total.

In addition, where the town of Superior has a population density of 3,120 people per square mile [1,204 people/km²], Boulder County averages 405.6 people per square mile [156.6 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Boulder County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Superior, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Superior. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Superior or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Superior, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Superior.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   39.931190°   (or 39°55'52" N)
  • Lon:   -105.159085°   (or -105°9'32" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   39.934718°   (or 39°56'4" N)
  • Lon:   -105.162786°   (or -105°9'46" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,650 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2413354) to Superior. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Superior. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   39.934186°   (or 39°56'3" N)
  • Lon:   -105.157990°   (or -105°9'28" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,134 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Superior. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Superior.

Miscellaneous Information for Superior ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Boulder County or the town of Superior:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Superior:
  • GNIS ID for Superior: 2413354
  • GNIS ID for Boulder County: 198122
  • GNIS ID for State of Colorado: 1779779

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 08 (Colorado)
  • County Code: 013 (Boulder County)
  • Place Code: 75640 (Superior)
  • State & County Code: 08/013 (Colorado / Boulder County)
  • State & Place Code: 08/75640 (Colorado / Superior)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Superior is located in Census Region #4 (the West Region) and Division #8 (the Mountain Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Superior.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Superior: www.townofsuperior.com/

The official website for Boulder County: www.co.boulder.co.us/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)