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

[u/TA-MajestyPalm]

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.

[u/Worried-Ebb8051]

Love the regional categorization approach!

The Austin vs Miami contrast is striking - both "hot" markets but completely different trajectories. Austin's plateau might reflect the tech correction and remote work normalization, while Miami's continued growth suggests lifestyle migration is more durable than job-driven moves. The Southeast's dominance really reinforces the "no state income tax" migration theory. Would be interesting to see this correlated with housing affordability metrics.

[u/ryan_770 → u/Worried-Ebb8051]

The region lines are a bit weird though. Feels odd to include northern Virginia and central Texas in "The South", but not parts of Alabama.

[u/hallese → u/ryan_770]

It's only weird because we're used to hand jamming entire states into regions. Nothing better exemplifies the distinct nature of Appalachia from the South than the existence of West Virginia. If you were to look at a light pollution map the boundaries would also make a lot more sense for Appalachia and as you move west from Midwest to Great Plains to Mountain West. When this gets further broken down Maine and New Orleans are often grouped together because of the shared history of the first European groups to settle in both regions.

[u/windershinwishes → u/hallese]

I agree in general, but the specifics are still a bit off to me. I agree that the northeast corner of Alabama is Appalachian, but I definitely wouldn't describe Birmingham as part of Appalachia rather than part of the South. I mean, it's next to a mountain...but it's more of a glorified hill.

[u/hallese → u/windershinwishes]

It's hand-jamming counties instead of states, there's still room for debate. I mean, there always will be, but now instead of debating entire states with millions of people, the debate is centered on counties with smaller populations.

[u/gsfgf → u/windershinwishes]

Birmingham is 100% the South. The city itself is 2/3 Black, for starters.

[u/devourke → u/windershinwishes]

I definitely wouldn't describe Birmingham as part of Appalachia rather than part of the South

As someone who moved to the US as an adult who was initially confused by Americans using a completely different definition of the word "South" than the rest of the world, the one thing I've noticed is that almost everyone and their mother has a different personal definition of what states/regions actually count as "the South". Especially those from the actual regions commonly in dispute.

Don't even get me started on the so called Midwest which should 100% be renamed to the Middle East (maybe if America had their own Middle East, they'd spend less time messing around in other people's Middle East)

[u/windershinwishes → u/devourke]

We already changed the name from "the West" to "the Midwest" so I agree that another change is due.

"Southeast" is used fairly often, but it's no surprise that "the South" has staying power as a name, the Southwest notwithstanding; when the brand identity is deeply involved with the biggest event in the country's history, it's hard to shake.

In my view (as an Alabamian who has lived in various parts of the state including Birmingham, but has only visited the mountainous region a few times) the entirety of the state can be classified as part of the Deep South, but it does make geographic sense to label the northeastern corner as "Appalachia". It literally is part of the mountain range, after all, and I'm pretty sure it was economically and culturally distinct from the majority of the state in the antebellum/war period, as was typical for the region.

I suppose I might be falling for stereotypical thinking on this though, imagining Appalachia purely as isolated hollers and what not. Birmingham is a coal mining town afterall.

These minute distinctions are more historical than contemporarily relevant though. I'll see maps like this identifying the coastal region as distinct from the rest of the state, for example, and it's true that Mobile has a totally separate history and had a very distinct culture from the rest of the state...but in the 21st century everything is more homogenized. Aside from Mardi Gras and a greater number of Catholics, there's no apparent distinction between Mobilian culture and general Alabamian culture, aside from general urban/rural divides. (I guess there's probably more among the old money crowd there, but I wouldn't really know.)

[u/gsfgf → u/devourke]

Part of it is the legacy of the Confederacy. And the Confederacy still shows up on a surprising number of maps.