Latest American Community Survey: Continued Growth for (Some) Cities

Greg Toppo and Paul Overberg took apart the ACS numbers as they related to population growth in cities and suburbs in a recent article in USA Today. They found some unprecedented growth in certain historically smaller cities, such as San Jose, California, which "is poised to crack the million-resident milestone for the first time. It is the 10^th-largest city, surpassing its neighbor San Francisco, as well as places like Austin, Indianapolis and Jacksonville." In addition, Toppo and Overberg found that modest growth was also sustained throughout Sun Belt cities, which were booming before the recession hit.

Other cities, like slow-growing Boston, "saw its overall ranking drop sharply last year as three cities — Seattle, Denver and Washington — crept past it. The trio charged ahead with above-average growth rates topping 2%, the figures show. Overall, the USA grew at a rate of just 0.7%, the lowest since just after the Great Depression. By contrast, Seattle last year grew 2.8%."

However, some cities are still seeing falling populations backed by the ACS data, supporting trends associated with post-industrial economies, such as Baltimore. As Toppo and Overberg write, "Baltimore, once among the most populous cities in the USA, is seeing little to no growth and has lost 4.2% of its population since 2000. If current trends continue, Baltimore will be surpassed next year by Oklahoma City, which is riding an oil and natural gas drilling boom."