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

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

Post image

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.

877 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

310 comments sorted by

View all comments

69

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.

9

u/rowzayduckbucky 3d ago

In the case of Detroit and Pittsburgh it seems like the Downtowns are getting revitalized, which makes it look like the cities are doing well. But the outer areas of these cities are likely becoming emptier than ever. In Detroit some have even become urban forests

8

u/shakilops 3d ago

Not even urban areas for Pittsburgh. The core region is pretty steady but a lot of the farther out rural counties are continually hemorrhaging population. Pittsburgh city grew per the last census! 

1

u/saberplane 1d ago

Like someone said about Chicago tho some of the same exists in the Detroit metro. A lot more people have made moved into wealthier areas. A lot of the drain in the areas you speak of has already occured and the forestation is something the city is doing on purpose to allow it to concentrate city services. The cities proper of Chicago and also Detroit are huge square mileage wise even compared to some of their other older brethren. Chicago though of course never had nearly the flight Detroit experienced some decades ago.

1

u/CiDevant 3d ago

Yes, but Detroit IS growing.  Which is a huge turnaround after losing almost half its population.