Detroit is the 7th fastest shrinking large city in U.S., according to study

Despite its "comeback city" narrative, the Motor City is still losing population.

According to a new report from small business resource AdvisorSmith, Detroit is the #7 fastest shrinking large city in the United States, with its population dropped from 682,609 in 2014 to 670,031 in 2019.

That's an average drop of 0.37% per year, compared with average growth of 0.8% for large cities in the U.S.

The other top six shrinking cities were St. Louis, Baltimore, Anchorage, Toledo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.

AdvisorSmith made its rankings using population data from the US Census Bureau. You can read more here.

Detroit's population peaked in the 1950, with 1.8 million people. It has dropped in every subsequent census.

This year is another census year, and Detroit has launched a comprehensive campaign to make sure as many Detroiters as possible are counted. The campaign has included billboards with notable Detroiters, counting events, door-knocking, and others.

In 2010, only 64% of Detroiters filled out the census, compared to 70% in 2000.

More information about the census is available at my2020census.gov.

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