The U.S. Census Bureau has increased the number of people it shows living in Lawrence and Douglas County after city leaders protested a previous estimate that showed a slight decline.

City leaders announced today that the Census Bureau has added 505 people to the 2006 population estimate for Lawrence. The bureau also added 436 people to the Douglas County total.

The Census Bureau changed the estimates after the city presented information related to building permit data that suggests the city is still adding population.

But even the city’s population estimates now show that growth is occurring at a rate less than the historical average of 2 percent to 2.5 percent.

The adjusted numbers show Lawrence grew by 0.5 percent from 2005 to 2006. The original Census Bureau estimate had the city’s population declining by less than one-tenth of a percent.

This is the second consecutive year that the city successfully has challenged the Census Bureau estimates. The Census Bureau added about 9,000 people o the county’s overall population.