White Population Shifting Decades-Long Trends in Cities

The Census has confirmed what many trend stories and liberals have been saying for a while now—white people are moving back to cities.

1 minute read

September 25, 2015, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Detroit - Renaissance Center

Patricia Drury / Flickr

Emily Badger reports on the growing body of evidence that white population is growing in cities around the country, but perhaps most tellingly exemplified by Detroit, where in 2014 the city's white population grew by 8,000 people. "That's a relatively small number in a city of 680,000," writes Badger, "but it's a significant change from the long-term trend over the lifetime of a majority of residents living in Detroit today."

Badger calls on demographer William Frey, who also spotted the trend in other cities. As explained by Badger:

"Among the 50 largest cities in the U.S., nearly half gained a statistically significant number of whites from 2010-2014 (the change isn't significant in 21 of these 50 cities). Just 5 lost whites. That's compared to 35 cities where the white population shrank in the 2000s, and 31 in the 1990s. In Detroit, New Orleans, Washington and Denver, the white share of the population also rose over this same time."

Badger, with the help of Frey's take on the data, concludes with words of caution about the conclusions that should be drawn from the data.

Thursday, September 24, 2015 in The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Aerial view of homes on green hillsides in Daly City, California.

Depopulation Patterns Get Weird

A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.

April 10, 2024 - California Planning & Development Report

Aerial view of Oakland, California with bay in background

California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million

Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.

April 11, 2024 - Los Angeles Times

A view straight down LaSalle Street, lined by high-rise buildings with an El line running horizontally over the street.

Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing

Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.

April 10, 2024 - Chicago Construction News

Young woman and man seated on subway car looking at phones.

Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features

It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.

3 hours ago - BGR

Ohio state capitol dome against dramatic lightly cloudy sky.

Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production

A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.

4 hours ago - Daytona Daily News

Aerial view of Interstate 290 or Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant

Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.

5 hours ago - Streetsblog Chicago

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.