r/dataisbeautiful • u/TA-MajestyPalm • 4d ago

OC [OC] Post-Pandemic Population Growth Trends, by US Metro Area (2022->2024)

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Graphic by me, created in Excel. All data from US Census here: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html

I've created similar graphics in the past, but usually from 2020-2024. This is not the best time frame as it combines the abnormal covid years with post pandemic movement.

This time frame (2022-2024) shows the most current and ongoing population trends of the last 2 years.

I also wanted to better categorize the cities into broad cultural regions vs the arbitrary geographic census regions.

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u/Rarewear_fan 4d ago

Interesting stats that are often divorced by what many Reddit users claim. Go on any board related to moving or where specifically Americans talk about their lives, and many are saying cities like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland are popping off, tons of people moving there, great places to live now, etc.

Now they have definitely gotten better in the last 10 years so there is truth, but the midwest and Northeast are not really growing anymore. In the South east it has popped off so much that house prices and property tax rates have exploded since COVID. They are stabilizing now, but the main driver for people moving (economic opportunity) has really gone up in the south along with the wealth it brought compared to even the 2000s.

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u/Abefroman12 3d ago

Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland all experienced massive job loss in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Hundreds of thousands of people moved out of those cities during those decades. That population loss has massively slowed and reversed to a small increase.

For the locals who experienced that huge loss and are now starting to see the turnaround, any growth will seem remarkable. Even if the numbers themselves aren’t large increases.

I grew up in the Cleveland metro area and it’s hard to describe watching businesses, schools, and other institutions shut their doors for years without any “good” news coming in. So a lot of what is being said on Reddit is a big shift in perception of those older Rust Belt cities, which itself is a major win for them.

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u/randynumbergenerator 3d ago

The character of the growth may also be different between regions. Some (probably in the south) may be growing outwards more than upwards, which can be less noticeable. Another subdivision on the outskirts that you never see isn't as noticeable as a new building or formerly vacant storefronts that are now occupied.

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u/Chotibobs 3d ago

Nah the southern cities like Charlotte Miami and Austin are growing upwards big time too