Clark County's population is on pace to surpass 2 million by mid-2007, according to estimates presented Thursday to the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition.

The 2006 Consensus Population Estimates state that the county's five cities and the unincorporated areas surrounding them added 96,954 people in the 12-month period that ended in July, raising Clark County's estimated population to 1.91 million people.

That 8,000-person per month growth rate is expected to continue in coming years, according to another report presented to the agency on Thursday.

North Las Vegas continued leading all Southern Nevada cities in growth. The city added more than 20,000 people between July 2005 and July 2006, an 11.2 percent increase.

While Las Vegas and Henderson also both grew by 12,000 to 16,000 residents, nearly half the people moving into Southern Nevada settled in unincorporated areas of the county.

The numbers presented to the planning coalition, a board established by the Legislature to help guide the region's explosive growth, are the result of joint work by the county and its municipalities.

"We believe it's really precise," said Jon Wardlaw, of the county's Comprehensive Planning Department.

The agency estimates have been presented to State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle, who will calculate official numbers for the state after factoring in figures provided by Nevada's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

"He has to basically average the employee information and the housing population information we provide with those numbers, and that brings it down a little bit," Wardlaw said.

A separate report to the coalition predicted that Nevada will continue to have the fastest-growing population in the nation through 2030, growing by about 8,000 additional residents per month.