Clark County No. 3 in population gain

56,587 residents, the Census Bureau said.

As of July 1, Clark County was home to just under 2.16 million people, a 2.2 percent increase over the previous 12-month period.

According to the Census Bureau, Nevada’s most-populous county saw 27,352 births, 16,501 deaths and 34,301 new residents move here during the year ending July 1. Almost 6,600 of those recent arrivals came from another country.

The bureau’s numbers are slightly lower than the state’s official population estimates, which pegged Clark County’s July 1 population at closer to 2.17 million, an increase of 47,828 or 2.3 percent over the previous year.

Nevada as a whole saw its population increase by 1.9 percent to just over 2.95 million between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, according to the state figures released Monday by the Nevada State Demographer’s Office. STATE NEARS 3 MILLION RESIDENTS

Though Nevada has seen its growth rate slow since the pre-recession boom in early 2000s, and the state is on track to welcome its 3 millionth resident by July 1, 2018. And it’s not all thanks to transplants from other places.

“Overall, Nevada’s population is increasing due to natural increase, and migration has been playing less of a role,” state demographer Jeff Hardcastle said.

Nevada ranked as the nation’s second fastest-growing state behind Utah in state-by-state estimates released by the Census Bureau in December. Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com. Follow @refriedbrean on Twitter.