Foreign Born Grow While St. Louis Region Falls Out of the Top 20 Metros in the U.S.

The St. Louis region has fallen out of the Top 20 largest metropolitan areas in the country, with the urban core continuing to hollow out.

St. Louis city’s population declined by more than 4,500 people, the largest drop since the 2010 Census numbers were released. At that time, the city had 319,294 people. Population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau put that number at 308,626.

Also contributing to the region’s one-rung drop, to 21st place, is the loss of nearly 1,500 people in St. Louis County, the second year in a row there has been a decline after five years of small growth were recorded. The Metro East’s two largest counties, Madison and St. Clair, also saw slight dips.

 

Overall, the St. Louis metropolitan area, which comprises 14 counties and the city of St. Louis, grew slightly but at a much slower rate than other parts of the U.S., based on population estimates taken from July 1, 2016, to July 1 of last year.

The Baltimore area, which had been ranked 21st, swapped spots on the population list with the St. Louis region. The city of Baltimore saw a numeric population drop greater than St. Louis city, but Baltimore’s loss represented a 0.9 percent decrease, compared with a 1.4 percent loss in St. Louis.

Click Here to Read Full Article