North Dakota has demonstrated time and again to be one of the most popular states, and 2017 was the first time in 15 years that this state declined its population. People have been crowding to North Dakota for more than a decade, but Jamestown might be behind the state’s first population decline ever recorded in 2017.
The small city has lost around 2% of its population, according to the 2018 poll, which isn’t something unusual for this small city.
Baltimore, Maryland
Although it might be one of the most well-known cities in America, Baltimore has witnessed a steady decline in population since the 50s. With 1.2% of the city’s population leaving between 2018 and 2019, which means approximately 7,200 people backed their bags in search of greener pastures.
Baltimore's cost of living is 17% higher than the national average and that problem is part of a broader issue for Baltimore, with an estimated 3% population decrease since 2000.
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown was a prospering city in the 20s and 30s, with over 65,000 residents. The lucrative steel and coal manufacturers helped fuel Johnstown back in its heyday, but as times have changed, so has its outlook. Those industries are no longer what they once were, and Johnstown has seen its population reduced to just 19,447, according to the 2018 census.
Many Pennsylvania cities have been dealing with this same problem as its steel industry faces decline, with half of Pittsburgh's residents leaving since the 1950s.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham has arguably the most fragmented community in the Southeast because of its history. If a do-over button existed for cities, Birmingham would be at the top of that list. There might, MIGHT, be nice people in the area with a sweet southern charm but when it comes to the city looking after it's own, you'll be pressed to find a helpful response.
There are very few resources for the needy and few services for low-income families that help the people. So we totally get why people are leaving Birmingham in troves!
Memphis, Tennessee
If you want to fit in here, you better get yourself some army pants and put on some weight. Memphis is another city in the South that's shedding a lot of its residents recently. As a big city, it was pulsating with culture and life, so what went awry with this city and its potential for a great urban revival?
Among the headwinds facing this city are limited public transportation and crime that does not sleep.