SmartAsset ranked 610 cities across the U.S. based on one-year and five-year declines in population, along with changes in the working-age population, to understand broader trends.
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Jaclyn DeJohn, CFP
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Declines in a community's population can result in a decreased demand for businesses, housing, and services. This could potentially lead to higher per capita costs among the remaining tax base for maintaining infrastructure and even the closure of local amenities. Additionally, an aging or shrinking population can affect the local job market and culture, among other things.
Keeping this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 610 cities across the U.S. based on the one-year decline in population, drawing on recent Census Bureau estimates. Five-year declines were also analyzed, along with changes in the working-age population to understand broader trends.
Key Findings
The population declined by more than 10% in one year in this city. Spring Valley, NV saw the largest one-year decline at 10.14%. The total population decreased from 220,707 in 2022 to 198,326 in 2023. The relative size of the working age population remained stable at around 51% each year.
Over five years, this city lost more than one quarter of its population. Paradise, NV saw the largest five-year decline in population at -26.77%. It lost nearly 65,000 residents between 2018 and 2023, going from 242,266 to 177,413. For one-year loss, it ranked 17th, indicating a continued trend as of the most recent data.
Two Texas cities saw steep declines in the working age population. Despite a steady increase in total population over the last five years, Forth Worth, TX lost 47,312 working age residents from 2018 to 2023. And New Braunfels, TX – which ranked second overall for one-year population decline with a loss of 12.49% of its total population, and had a five-year loss of 29.68% – saw a 6.8 point decline in its relative population of workers during those five years after losing 19,398 people between age 20 and 54.
Top 10 Cities With the Largest One-Year Population Decline
SmartAsset
Spring Valley, Nevada
One-year change in total population: -10.14%
Five-year change in total population: -7.39%
Total population, 2023: 198,326
Total population, 2022: 220,707
Total population, 2018: 214,161
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -10.21%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 101,553
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 51.21%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 113,105
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 51.25%
Town 'n' Country, Florida
One-year change in total population: -9.77%
Five-year change in total population: -4.36%
Total population, 2023: 78,974
Total population, 2022: 87,521
Total population, 2018: 82,577
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -9.44%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 41,641
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 52.73%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 45,983
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 52.54%
Kendall, Florida
One-year change in total population: -9.32%
Five-year change in total population: -3.44%
Total population, 2023: 73,368
Total population, 2022: 80,912
Total population, 2018: 75,979
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -5.73%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 31,099
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 42.39%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 32,988
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 40.77%
Carmichael, California
One-year change in total population: -7.82%
Five-year change in total population: 15.90%
Total population, 2023: 75,718
Total population, 2022: 82,145
Total population, 2018: 65,328
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -12.94%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 32,764
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 43.27%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 37,634
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 45.81%
Brandon, Florida
One-year change in total population: -7.80%
Five-year change in total population: -2.52%
Total population, 2023: 116,754
Total population, 2022: 126,628
Total population, 2018: 119,778
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -13.67%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 56,138
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 48.08%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 65,028
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 51.35%
Lafayette, Indiana
One-year change in total population: -6.80%
Five-year change in total population: -6.89%
Total population, 2023: 67,406
Total population, 2022: 72,326
Total population, 2018: 72,393
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -9.86%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 33,994
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 50.43%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 37,712
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 52.14%
Casas Adobes, Arizona
One-year change in total population: -6.45%
Five-year change in total population: -6.68%
Total population, 2023: 70,641
Total population, 2022: 75,513
Total population, 2018: 75,694
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -3.83%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 30,450
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 43.11%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 31,664
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 41.93%
Metairie, Louisiana
One-year change in total population: -5.62%
Five-year change in total population: -3.20%
Total population, 2023: 136,597
Total population, 2022: 144,729
Total population, 2018: 141,114
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -6.88%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 58,233
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 42.63%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 62,535
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 43.21%
Decatur, Illinois
One-year change in total population: -5.40%
Five-year change in total population: -7.33%
Total population, 2023: 66,594
Total population, 2022: 70,396
Total population, 2018: 71,860
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -2.17%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 28,489
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 42.78%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 29,121
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 41.37%
East Los Angeles, California
One-year change in total population: -5.37%
Five-year change in total population: -9.37%
Total population, 2023: 106,903
Total population, 2022: 112,965
Total population, 2018: 117,961
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -9.20%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 53,085
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 49.66%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 58,463
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 51.75%
Top 10 Cities With the Largest Five-Year Population Decline
Paradise, Nevada
Five-year change in total population: -26.77%
One-year change in total population: -3.22%
Total population, 2023: 177,413
Total population, 2022: 183,321
Total population, 2018: 242,266
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -4.77%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 90,712
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 51.13%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 95,254
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 51.96%
Flint, Michigan
Five-year change in total population: -16.97%
One-year change in total population: -0.26%
Total population, 2023: 79,654
Total population, 2022: 79,865
Total population, 2018: 95,932
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: 4.63%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 36,642
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 46%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 35,022
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 43.85%
Arden-Arcade, California
Five-year change in total population: -15.72%
One-year change in total population: -5.21%
Total population, 2023: 90,934
Total population, 2022: 95,936
Total population, 2018: 107,894
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -5.09%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 44,761
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 49.22%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 47,164
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 49.16%
Bloomington, Indiana
Five-year change in total population: -14.44%
One-year change in total population: -4.30%
Total population, 2023: 74,028
Total population, 2022: 77,358
Total population, 2018: 86,522
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -4.17%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 42,769
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 57.77%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 44,632
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 57.70%
Miami Beach, Florida
Five-year change in total population: -13.19%
One-year change in total population: -0.51%
Total population, 2023: 79,616
Total population, 2022: 80,027
Total population, 2018: 91,715
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -12.48%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 36,656
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 46.04%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 41,885
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 52.34%
Aurora, Illinois
Five-year change in total population: -13.10%
One-year change in total population: -1.63%
Total population, 2023: 179,355
Total population, 2022: 182,336
Total population, 2018: 206,389
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -2.68%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 89,235
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 49.75%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 91,689
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 50.29%
Jackson, Mississippi
Five-year change in total population: -12.80%
One-year change in total population: -1.63%
Total population, 2023: 143,633
Total population, 2022: 146,019
Total population, 2018: 164,720
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -2.30%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 66,858
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 46.55%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 68,434
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 46.87%
Union City, California
Five-year change in total population: -12.27%
One-year change in total population: -2.44%
Total population, 2023: 65,416
Total population, 2022: 67,049
Total population, 2018: 74,568
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: -7.04%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 30,853
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 47.16%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 33,189
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 49.50%
Pine Hills, Florida
Five-year change in total population: -11.99%
One-year change in total population: 9.66%
Total population, 2023: 79,274
Total population, 2022: 72,291
Total population, 2018: 90,070
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: 7.67%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 35,932
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 45.33%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 33,372
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 46.16%
El Monte, California
Five-year change in total population: -10.22%
One-year change in total population: -1.45%
Total population, 2023: 103,782
Total population, 2022: 105,307
Total population, 2018: 115,602
One-year change in the number of working-age residents: 0.03%
Number of working-age residents, 2023: 48,130
Percent of population of working age, 2023: 46.38%
Number of working-age residents, 2022: 48,114
Percent of population of working age, 2022: 45.69%
Data and Methodology
SmartAsset examined population estimates from the Census Bureau for 2023, 2022 and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for cities with populations of at least 65,000 in 2023 for which full data was available. Changes in the working age population were also examined, with working age defined as between ages 20 and 54.
