What the 10 fastest-shrinking cities say about America
Summary
Hundreds of U.S. cities are losing residents, especially smaller towns with aging infrastructure and fewer jobs. Many shrinking cities are majority-Black or Native American communities facing poverty and underinvestment, while fast-growing metro areas in the South and West expand.Key Facts
- More than 600 U.S. cities with populations over 20,000 lost residents between 2020 and 2025.
- Big Spring, Texas, had the largest population drop at 15.3%, partly due to the closure of two detention centers.
- Several shrinking cities are majority-Black communities in the Deep South, like Greenville, Mississippi, which lost 10.6% of its population.
- Gallup, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, lost 8.8% of residents, and its main newspaper recently closed.
- Mississippi has three of the top 10 fastest-shrinking cities, all facing poverty, poor infrastructure, and young people moving away.
- Most new housing is being built in fast-growing metro areas, not in shrinking cities.
- Shrinking cities lose political influence because population loss reduces their representation.
- Some population loss may be temporary, like in Twentynine Palms, California, which has a Marine Corps base.
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