[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/Illiander]

Buses just aren't as effective as trains is the thing. Mostly because they inevitably get forced to use the same roads as cars, which makes them get stuck in traffic.

[u/Cleromanticon → u/Illiander]

Where I live, Republicans literally made light rail illegal so buses are what we’ve got to work with.

[u/AskMeAboutOkapis → u/Illiander]

I'm not anti-trains at all, I love trains and ideally they would form the core part of all cities public transit networks with bus lines branching out from there. However in North America they have been very expensive and time consuming to build. In the long term they are absolutely worthwhile investments (especially if we can figure out how to build them for less like every other part of the world). But in the short term, building dedicated bus lanes is cheap and fast and can help solve problems that are happening right now.

[u/UnintensifiedFa → u/Illiander]

The thing about buses is that they’re easy. Don’t require dedicated stations, can go anywhere in a city, and you can cordon off bus lanes pretty easy.

I would love a train network that’s sprawling and elaborate and can go where I need, but you’ve gotta start somewhere and buses sound great with all the traffic.

Plus buses and trains can work together quite nicely for long/short distance interchange.