The U.S. Census Bureau recognizes 384 metropolitan areas, based on its population cutoff. Among the reasons the data on metropolitan areas is useful is that 86% of the American population live in these cities. In aggregate, the population of U.S. metro areas grew by 9% between 2010 and 2020.
Not all cities are growing, however. To identify the fastest shrinking cities in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the change in resident population in all 384 metropolitan statistical areas from 2010 to 2020. The fastest shrinking city was far from the average growth for all metros. The population of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, dropped from 100,258 in 2010 to 86,278 in 2020 — a 14% decline.
In some of the recently released results from the 2020 census, one section was titled, “Around Four-Fifths of All U.S. Metro Areas Grew Between 2010 and 2020.” This means that about 75 metros shrank in population. The data also showed that the entire U.S. population grew at the slowest rate since the 1930s and that there is a wide contrast between the population growth rates among metropolitan areas, with some cities reporting negative growth.
Many other cities on the list are old industrial metros where economic conditions have been challenging for decades. This included Elmira, New York, where the population dropped 7% to 82,622, and Youngstown, Ohio, where the population dropped 6% to 531,420. See if they are among the metro with the highest poverty rate in every state.
Many of the fastest shrinking cities are in West Virginia, including four of the top 10. The population of Charlestown, the third-fastest shrinking city, dropped 9% to 254,145 between 2010 and 2020. The fifth-fastest shrinking city was Beckley, where the population declined 8% to 114,982. In the sixth fastest shrinking city, Weirton, the population shrank 7% to 115,184. And in the seventh-fastest shrinking city, Wheeling, the population also dropped 7% to 137,217. Some of these are among the cities with the most people on food stamps.
Other data used such as population figures, educational attainment rates, median household income, and the population with health insurance also come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey one-year estimates.
Click here to see the fastest shrinking city in America.
50. Niles, MI
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.4%
> 2010 population: 156,813
> 2020 population: 153,025
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49. Syracuse, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.5%
> 2010 population: 662,577
> 2020 population: 646,038
48. Williamsport, PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.5%
> 2010 population: 116,111
> 2020 population: 113,209
47. Kingston, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.6%
> 2010 population: 182,493
> 2020 population: 177,716
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46. Carbondale-Marion, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.7%
> 2010 population: 139,157
> 2020 population: 135,448
45. Lawton, OK
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.7%
> 2010 population: 130,291
> 2020 population: 126,775
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44. Monroe, LA
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.7%
> 2010 population: 204,420
> 2020 population: 198,836
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43. New Bern, NC
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.8%
> 2010 population: 126,802
> 2020 population: 123,198
42. Mansfield, OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -2.9%
> 2010 population: 124,475
> 2020 population: 120,891
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41. Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.0%
> 2010 population: 131,346
> 2020 population: 127,450
40. Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.1%
> 2010 population: 85,562
> 2020 population: 82,884
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39. Chico, CA
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.3%
> 2010 population: 220,000
> 2020 population: 212,744
38. Norwich-New London, CT
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.3%
> 2010 population: 274,055
> 2020 population: 264,999
37. Springfield, OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.4%
> 2010 population: 138,333
> 2020 population: 133,593
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36. Glens Falls, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.5%
> 2010 population: 128,923
> 2020 population: 124,362
35. Muncie, IN
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.6%
> 2010 population: 117,671
> 2020 population: 113,454
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34. Utica-Rome, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.7%
> 2010 population: 299,397
> 2020 population: 288,291
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33. St. Joseph, MO-KS
> 2010-2020 population change: -3.7%
> 2010 population: 127,329
> 2020 population: 122,556
32. Lima, OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.1%
> 2010 population: 106,331
> 2020 population: 101,980
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31. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.2%
> 2010 population: 274,549
> 2020 population: 262,945
30. Kankakee, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.3%
> 2010 population: 113,449
> 2020 population: 108,594
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29. Anniston-Oxford, AL
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.3%
> 2010 population: 118,572
> 2020 population: 113,469
28. Erie, PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.3%
> 2010 population: 280,566
> 2020 population: 268,426
27. Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.3%
> 2010 population: 92,673
> 2020 population: 88,643
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26. Rockford, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.4%
> 2010 population: 349,431
> 2020 population: 334,072
25. Rocky Mount, NC
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.4%
> 2010 population: 152,392
> 2020 population: 145,688
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24. Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.5%
> 2010 population: 370,908
> 2020 population: 354,085
23. Peoria, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.7%
> 2010 population: 416,255
> 2020 population: 396,781
22. Altoona, PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.8%
> 2010 population: 127,089
> 2020 population: 121,007
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21. Flint, MI
> 2010-2020 population change: -4.9%
> 2010 population: 425,790
> 2020 population: 404,794
20. Bay City, MI
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.0%
> 2010 population: 107,771
> 2020 population: 102,387
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19. Pittsfield, MA
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.1%
> 2010 population: 131,219
> 2020 population: 124,571
18. Saginaw, MI
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.1%
> 2010 population: 200,169
> 2020 population: 189,868
17. Farmington, NM
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.2%
> 2010 population: 130,044
> 2020 population: 123,312
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16. Albany, GA
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.6%
> 2010 population: 153,857
> 2020 population: 145,206
15. Binghamton, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.7%
> 2010 population: 251,725
> 2020 population: 237,324
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14. Ocean City, NJ
> 2010-2020 population change: -5.9%
> 2010 population: 97,265
> 2020 population: 91,546
13. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -6.1%
> 2010 population: 565,773
> 2020 population: 531,420
12. Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
> 2010-2020 population change: -6.3%
> 2010 population: 156,898
> 2020 population: 147,008
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11. Cumberland, MD-WV
> 2010-2020 population change: -6.3%
> 2010 population: 103,299
> 2020 population: 96,779
10. Elmira, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.0%
> 2010 population: 88,830
> 2020 population: 82,622
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9. Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.0%
> 2010 population: 116,229
> 2020 population: 108,095
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8. Decatur, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.0%
> 2010 population: 110,768
> 2020 population: 103,015
7. Wheeling, WV-OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.3%
> 2010 population: 147,950
> 2020 population: 137,217
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6. Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.4%
> 2010 population: 124,454
> 2020 population: 115,184
5. Beckley, WV
> 2010-2020 population change: -7.9%
> 2010 population: 124,898
> 2020 population: 114,982
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4. Danville, IL
> 2010-2020 population change: -8.3%
> 2010 population: 81,625
> 2020 population: 74,855
3. Charleston, WV
> 2010-2020 population change: -8.6%
> 2010 population: 278,009
> 2020 population: 254,145
2. Johnstown, PA
> 2010-2020 population change: -10.4%
> 2010 population: 143,679
> 2020 population: 128,672
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1. Pine Bluff, AR
> 2010-2020 population change: -13.9%
> 2010 population: 100,258
> 2020 population: 86,278
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