Nestled between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers banks sits the city of St. Louis, known for its baseball and the most famous arch that isn’t part of a fast-food logo. But despite that, St. Louis is now placed as the 64th largest city in the country. St. Louis was once bustling city, but now its numbers are steadily declining as people look to find somewhere better to live.
There are hundreds of abandoned buildings in St. Louis mainly because of a lack of investment and government administration that favored suburbanization. 64% of St. Louis residents have left since the 50s and since 2010, the city has experienced a further drop in its population by 5%.
Sterling, Colorado
Despite many cities across Colorado increasing their population, not every prominent city in the state did. Established along the South Platte River in 1881, Sterling quickly developed into a business hub on Colorado's eastern plains.
Although it has been through its share of booms and busts, Sterling's residents are now looking for somewhere else to settle down. Sterling worries that it will continue to lose more people following a 7.9% population drop in recent years.
Portsmouth, Virginia
Virginia has been trying its best to rally people to relocate into the state. While attempting to bring people in, Virginia hasn't deterred people from heading out of state to explore greener pastures elsewhere. Portsmouth was always one of the biggest cities in Virginia. It's a coastal treasure with a collection of antique homes spanning three centuries, with an assortment of quirky shops and eclectic, locally-owned restaurants.
But since the 1960s, there has been a continued drop in its population. In 1960, Portsmouth's community was 114,773, but since then, the figure has dipped below 100,000. The 2018 census counted 94,632 people living in Portsmouth, Virginia, giving the city a 17% decrease in residents since the 1960s.
Rock Island, Illinois
Illinois has been grappling with its shrinking numbers for many years, with many people moving out of the bigger cities searching for a more provincial setting.
One city with a striking difference in their numbers is Rock Island, which was doing well during the 1980s. Since then, the city has been in a gradual downswing, with a recorded 3.4% drop in size in 2018 from 2010.
Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana, is fighting to keep a steady population due to its shrinking job market. The city was built on the manufacturing industry, but growing competitiveness in the steel industry overseas caused many US layoffs.
This has impacted many people living in Gary, and there has been a continuous decline in numbers since the 60s. In the 2010 census, Gary lost a startling 21% of its residents and an additional 6% in 2018.