Growth in Red Cliff during the past 100 years can be characterized as stable. In 1900, the population was 256 people. In the year 2000, the population increased to 289 people, an increase of 11 per cent. Historically the population has tended to rise quickly, slow to decrease. Most of the historic growth and decrease, popularly called the "boom and bust", is attributed to the demand for mineral extraction in the mining industry and ancillary supporting services such as timber harvesting and railroad maintenance.