Alaska has had to take it up a notch to get more people to move to the state in recent years, and according to the 2010 census, it worked! People were granted economic incentives to relocate to Anchorage by the Alaskan state, and in 2010 the population grew by 12%.
Even though Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, it still seems as though they struggle, with the number of people fleeing Anchorage on the rise.
North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte is just one of Nebraska's cities and towns across Lincoln County that has seen its population shrink in recent times. North Platte is best known for the museums, historic railways, and freight trains, but despite these attractions, residents across the county are decreasing.
North Platte saw an emigration of 3.7% of its inhabitants since 2010. It’s believed that economic issues are the leading cause of this trend.
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown was traditionally known as a center of steel production. Still, when the U.S. steel industry fell into decline in the 1970s, it was forced to redefine itself, leaving communities throughout the city without work, resulting in a drop of over 60% of its population since 1959.
In the 1950s, Youngstown had a flourishing population of 168,000, but those numbers have since been waning; a census in 2018 confirmed there were now just 64,958 residents living in the city. With a lack of jobs giving people a fair living wage, many citizens explore new areas for a fresh start in their lives.
Claremont, New Hampshire
There aren’t many cities in New Hampshire to pick and choose from, but the three most populated cities all saw an influx of residents. Nashua, Manchester, and Concord relished in their growth spurts, but Claremont was left behind. This small city lost an approximated 2.9% of its people, and there are two main reasons why they left.
Claremont has the highest property taxes in New Hampshire, with an average household income of 70% less than the state average. It would appear that Claremont is simply unaffordable
Charleston, West Virginia
West Virginia has been ranked as one of the worst states to live in the US, so it’s not exactly a surprise that people are leaving in droves. A report published in 2018 found that over 11,000 people left West Virginia in just one year. With so many people scrambling to relocate, Charleston is one of the worst-hit cities. Despite being the state capital and offering many attractions, people just don’t want to stick around in Charleston any longer. In the last ten years, Charleston has lost a tremendous 8% of its residents.