US Northeast, Midwest cities recover after years of population decline
US Northeast, Midwest cities recover after years of population decline
Robert Besser
20 May 2024, 02:35 GMT+10
- According to a U.S. Census Bureau forecast released this week, America’s Northeast and Midwest cities are recovering slightly after years of population declines
- Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, notably grew for the first time in decades, but the South still dominates the nation’s growth
- Since the 1950s, Detroit has witnessed an exodus of people, but estimates show that its population rose by just 1,852 people from 631,366 in 2022 to 633,218 in 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C.: According to a U.S. Census Bureau forecast released this week, America’s Northeast and Midwest cities are recovering slightly after years of population declines.
Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, notably grew for the first time in decades, but the South still dominates the nation’s growth.
Since the 1950s, Detroit has witnessed an exodus of people, but estimates show that its population rose by just 1,852 people from 631,366 in 2022 to 633,218 in 2023.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Mayor Mike Duggan said, “It is a great day. It is a day we have been waiting for 10 years. According to the Census Bureau, the city of Detroit has joined the communities in America that are growing in population. For our national brand, it was critically important for the Census Bureau to certify us as growing.”
Modest reversals of population drops were also seen in other large cities in the nation’s Northeast and Midwest last year. While the census estimates showed 13 of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. were in the South, eight in Texas alone.
Some cities with the most significant growth rates were in exurbs away from a metro’s downtown core, such as Celina, Texas, located more than 40 miles north of downtown Dallas.
The Census Bureau said that rising housing costs and greater opportunities for remote work likely contributed to their popularity.
Three of the largest U.S. cities have been losing residents this decade. New York City, which has lost some 550,000 residents this decade so far, witnessed a drop of only 77,000 residents in 2024.
In 2023, Los Angeles only lost 1,800 people following a decline of some 78,000 residents in the 2020s. Chicago, which has lost almost 82,000 people this decade, only had a population drop of 8,200 residents in 2023.
Losing the highest share of residents this decade than any other major city, San Francisco lost almost 7.5 percent and grew by more than 1,200 residents in 2023.
With nearly 8.3 million people as of July 1, 2023, New York City remained the largest U.S. city in terms of population. Los Angeles was second at close to four million residents, and Chicago was third at 2.7 million.
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