Cities Where the Most People Left Since the Pandemic

"U.S. Census data confirms what has been reported in regard to population shifts in the United States in recent years and since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 — Americans moved out of higher-cost areas and decamped to more affordable towns and regions in the U.S.

Using metro area level data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, 24/7 Tempo identified the cities losing the most people since the pandemic. Metro areas were ranked based on the percentage change in population due to net migration from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. Data was aggregated from the county level to the metropolitan level using metropolitan statistical area definitions for July 2023 from the Census Bureau.

Major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., all experienced a decrease in population. High costs of living, increase in some forms of crime, and the ability for people to work remotely and therefore have the ability to move away from congested urban areas have all been factors in population loss. (These are America’s 26 poorest large cities.)

Of the 40 cities on the list, 14 are California metro areas. Residents fled six Louisiana metros on our list, including three in the top six: Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, New Orleans-Metairie, and Lake Charles."