The metro areas that gained the most population are well-known: The Villages, Fla., gained 38.9 percent over the decade. Austin, Texas, added 33 percent to its population. St. George, Utah, posted a 30.5 percent gain. But while 312 of the nation’s metro areas gained population, a Social Explorer analysis of the 2020 Census finds 72 did not.

The Pine Bluff, Ark., area posted the greatest percentage loss of any metro in the nation, losing 12.5 percent of its 2010 population of 100,251. Danville, Ill., reported a loss of 9.1 percent, and the Cumberland, Md.-W.Va., metro lost 7.9 percent. Beckley, W.Va. (-7.9 percent), and Johnstown, Penn. (-7.1 percent) trailed. Akron, Ohio, which lost 0.1 percent of its 2010 population of 703,201, was the largest metro area to report a decline in population. Check out the population winners and losers for the nation’s 927 metro and micro areas with Social Explorer’s customizable mapping and report tools.

Population Percent Change, 2010-2020. Click here to explore further.

Author: Frank Bass