An estimated 228,783 people called Richmond home on July 1, 2018, the largest number since 1970 when the city’s population was near 250,000 residents, according to the latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.

While the breakdown by race has not yet been issued, the new estimate indicates Richmond’s population has jumped 24,569 people, or a substantial 12 percent, since the 2010 Census, which counted 204,214 city residents.

But another takeaway from the new estimate is that population growth has begun to slow.

The accuracy of the estimate will be tested in about nine months when the 2020 Census — an actual count — takes place in Richmond and across the country.

According to the Census Bureau, Richmond added 1,815 residents from the 2017 estimate of 226,968 people, a 0.08 percent or well below 1 percent growth. That’s similar to the percentage growth that occurred between 2016 and 2017.

A growth rate of less than 1 percent suggests the city is cooling off following six years when the population was growing at 1.4 percent to 2 percent a year.

For example, between 2011 and 2012, Richmond added 4,000 people, or an increase of 2.1 percent. And between 2015 and 2016, the city added nearly 4,500 residents, a 2 percent growth rate, according to the Census Bureau.

By Richmond standards, that was a lot of new faces. The influx helped fuel the boom in apartment construction and fresh interest in older neighborhoods, particularly in North Side.

Based on that past growth, there were expectations that Richmond’s population would top 230,000 in this latest estimate. But the new census estimate threw cold water on that outlook.

Chesterfield County is adding more than 5,000 people a year and has seen its population grow 10 percent since the 2010 count of 316,236. According to the Census Bureau, the county as of July 1, 2018, had 348,556 residents, an increase of 32,320 residents.

Henrico County, meanwhile, has experienced slower population growth of less than 1 percent, according to the census estimates. Between 2010 and 2018, Henrico added 22,326 residents, a 0.07 increase from the 306,935 residents counted in 2010.

According to the current estimate, Henrico has 329,261 residents.