Columbus City Diversity and Peer Comparison




In the 2nd post related to the recently-released Census demographic data, I’ll look at Columbus city diversity and peer comparison for how it’s been changing since 2005.

Rank by City of Total White, non-Hispanic Population by Year
2005————————————–2010————————————-2017
1. Chicago, IL: 819,215————1. Chicago: 853,910————1. Chicago: 879,334
2. Indianapolis, IN: 491,044—2. Indianapolis: 482,195—–2. Columbus: 490,149
3. Columbus: 442,958———-3. Columbus: 470,971—-3. Indianapolis: 468,665
4. Portland, OR: 382,033———-4. Portland: 417,876————4. Austin: 453,801
5. San Antonio, TX: 356,420—–5. Austin: 384,065————5. Portland: 452,132
6. Austin, TX: 347,013——-6. San Antonio: 351,420—6. San Antonio: 375,463
7. Nashville, TN: 314,518——–7. Nashville: 339,030——–7. Nashville: 368,195
8. Charlotte, NC: 302,789——-8. Charlotte: 331,357——8. Charlotte: 360,270
9. Virginia Beach, VA: 290,891–9. Virginia Beach: 282,812——9. Omaha: 311,349
10. San Jose, CA: 281,822—–10. Las Vegas: 280,604———–10. Las Vegas: 280,201
11. Las Vegas, NV: 281,679—-11. Omaha: 277,606———–11. Virginia Beach: 277,338
12. Omaha, NE: 267,685——–12. San Jose: 265,311————12. Kansas City: 272,548
13. Kansas City, MO: 249,123—13. Kansas City: 247,473——13. San Jose: 267,315
14. Wichita, KS: 245,527———-14. Wichita: 245,146————14. Minneapolis: 252,304
15. Milwaukee, WI: 219,891——15. Minneapolis: 242,848——15. Wichita: 243,143
16. Minneapolis, MN: 216,975—16. Milwaukee: 221,514——–16. Lincoln: 226,297
17. Lincoln, NE: 197,287———-17. Lincoln: 216,076————-17. Milwaukee: 207,043
18. Toledo: 183,746—————-18. Pittsburgh: 203,622———18. Pittsburgh: 196,687
19. Pittsburgh, PA: 180,725——19. Fort Wayne: 179,646——-19. Madison: 187,566
20. Madison, WI: 161,631——–20. Madison: 178,307————20. Fort Wayne: 166,912
21. St. Paul, MN: 161,329——–21. Toledo: 177,341————–21. Toledo: 164,104
22. Sacramento, CA: 160,599—22. Sacramento: 165,610——22. Sacramento: 159,291
23. Fort Wayne, IN: 157,672—–23. St. Paul: 159,704———–23. St. Paul: 152,558
24. Des Moines, IA: 149,786—–24. Des Moines: 145,937——24. Cincinnati: 143,028
25. Cleveland: 147,359———–25. Cincinnati: 143,120———25. Des Moines: 137,235
26. St. Louis, MO: 143,590——26. Cleveland: 137,977———26. St. Louis: 134,471
27. Cincinnati: 138,486———–27. St. Louis: 134,146———–27. Cleveland: 126,714
28. Akron: 128,976—————-28. Akron: 120,800————–28. Grand Rapids: 114,349
29. Grand Rapids, MI: 113,791—29. Grand Rapids: 104,636—29. Akron: 113,951
30. Orlando, FL: 92,326———–30. Orlando: 96,867————-30. Orlando: 95,876
31. Detroit, MI: 77,163————-31. Dayton: 72,663————–31. Dayton: 71,094
32. Dayton: 67,581—————–32. Providence: 64,284——–32. Detroit: 70,931
33. Providence, RI: 64,223——-33. Detroit: 55,298————–33. Providence: 59,321

Columbus moved from 3rd to 2nd over the period.

Rank by City of Total Black, non-Hispanic Population by Year
2005—————————————–2010———————————2017

1. Chicago: 938,097—————–1. Chicago: 895,294———–1. Chicago: 797,253
2. Detroit: 683,999——————–2. Detroit: 587,707————-2. Detroit: 529,593
3. Milwaukee: 222,040————–3. Charlotte: 251,274———-3. Charlotte: 292,104
4. Cleveland: 221,797—————4. Milwaukee: 230,473——–4. Columbus: 248,476
5. Charlotte: 205,216—————-5. Indianapolis: 226,314——-5. Indianapolis: 236,606
6. Indianapolis: 193,948————6. Columbus: 216,486———6. Milwaukee: 228,720
7. Columbus: 179,197—————7. Cleveland: 208,528———7. Cleveland: 186,073
8. St. Louis: 168,768—————-8. Nashville: 171,104———–8. Nashville: 180,830
9. Nashville: 148,051—————-9. St. Louis: 157,382———–9. St. Louis: 143,761
10. Kansas City: 131,694———-10. Kansas City: 138,461—–10. Kansas City: 138,346
11. Cincinnati: 131,010————-11. Cincinnati: 131,909——–11. Cincinnati: 127,589
12. Pittsburgh: 81,758————–12. Virginia Beach: 79,583—-12. San Antonio: 97,925
13. Virginia Beach: 80,004——–13. San Antonio: 79,307——13. Virginia Beach: 82,181
14. Orlando: 73,736—————–14. Toledo: 75,033————-14. Minneapolis: 75,006
15. Toledo: 72,190——————-15. Pittsburgh: 71,539——–15. Toledo: 74,906
16. Sacramento: 71,452————16. Orlando: 70,988————16. Orlando: 72,796
17. San Antonio: 70,723————17. Minneapolis: 63,749——17. Austin: 69,860
18. Dayton: 60,196——————-18. Sacramento: 61,976——18. Sacramento: 67,305
19. Akron: 59,810——————–19. Austin: 61,833————–19. Las Vegas: 65,663
20. Las Vegas: 59,780————–20. Dayton: 61,402————-20. Pittsburgh: 65,268
21. Austin: 59,583——————-21. Akron: 60,653—————-21. Akron: 61,461
22. Minneapolis: 57,499————22. Las Vegas: 60,187———22. Dayton: 57,043
23. Omaha: 50,333——————23. Omaha: 55,086————-23. Omaha: 56,098
24. Grand Rapids: 40,408———24. Wichita: 42,662————-24. St. Paul: 51,737
25. Wichita: 39,165—————–25. Grand Rapids: 41,848—–25. Wichita: 40,756
26. Fort Wayne: 35,221———–26. St. Paul: 41,923————-26. Grand Rapids: 38,130
27. St. Paul: 34,903—————-27. Fort Wayne: 39,016——–27. Fort Wayne: 37,941
28. Portland: 30,828—————28. Portland: 37,355————28. Portland: 34,624
29. San Jose: 27,446————–29. San Jose: 29,831———-29. San Jose: 28,126
30. Providence: 18,794———–30. Des Moines: 19,962——-30. Providence: 27,274
31. Des Moines: 16,709———-31. Providence: 19,265——–31. Des Moines: 22,170
32. Madison: 12,660————–32. Madison: 17,560————32. Madison: 14,185
33. Lincoln: 7,082——————33. Lincoln: 9,023—————33. Lincoln: 11,487

Columbus moved up from 7th to 4th in total Black, non-Hispanic during the period. Surprisingly, quite a few cities have actually been losing this demographic since 2010 at least.

Rank by City of Total Asian, non-Hispanic Population by Year
2005————————————-2010——————————————2017

1. San Jose: 269,186————–1. San Jose: 303,227—————–1. San Jose: 366,134
2. Chicago: 127,686—————-2. Chicago: 148,280——————2. Chicago: 179,176
3. Sacramento: 80,307————3. Sacramento: 84,556————-3. Sacramento: 93,476
4. Portland: 36,278—————–4. Austin: 46,575———————-4. Austin: 71,539
5. Austin: 35,239——————–5. Portland: 43,185——————-5. St. Paul: 61,082
6. St. Paul: 35,184——————6. St. Paul: 41,989——————-6. Charlotte: 55,142
7. Columbus: 27,125—————7. Las Vegas: 37,406—————7. Columbus: 53,027
8. Las Vegas: 25,077————–8. Charlotte: 37,181—————–8. Portland: 52,219
9. Charlotte: 23,356—————-9. Columbus: 35,468—————-9. Las Vegas: 44,735
10. Virginia Beach: 22,501——10. San Antonio: 29,200———–10. San Antonio: 38,119
11. San Antonio: 20,492———11. Virginia Beach: 27,303—–11. Virginia Beach: 29,735
12. Minneapolis: 20,189———12. Milwaukee: 22,670————–12. Minneapolis: 26,833
13. Milwaukee: 19,596———–13. Minneapolis: 21,426————13. Indianapolis: 26,548
14. Nashville: 16,943————-14. Wichita: 19,420——————14. Milwaukee: 25,624
15. Wichita: 15,417—————15. Indianapolis: 17,137————15. Madison: 24,455
16. Madison: 12,708————–16. Nashville: 17,045—————16. Nashville: 24,034
17. Indianapolis: 12,312———17. Madison: 16,671—————-17. Wichita: 19,548
18. Providence: 10,751———-18. Pittsburgh: 12,036————–18. Pittsburgh: 19,357
19. Pittsburgh: 10,727————19. Providence: 11,497————19. Omaha: 17,412
20. Kansas City: 10,674———20. Lincoln: 10,452——————20. Des Moines: 17,143
21. Detroit: 9,577——————21. Kansas City: 10,263———–21. Kansas City: 15,213
22. Des Moines: 8,796———–22. Des Moines: 8,867————-22. Fort Wayne: 14,039
23. Lincoln: 7,513—————–23. St. Louis: 8,717—————–23. Lincoln: 13,992
24. St. Louis: 7,046—————24. Omaha: 8,397——————-24. Orlando: 11,852
25. Omaha: 6,971—————–25. Orlando: 7,870——————25. Detroit: 11,790
26. Cincinnati: 6,874————-26. Fort Wayne: 6,945————–26. St. Louis: 10,404
27. Cleveland: 6,289————27. Detroit: 6,549———————27. Providence: 9,361
28. Orlando: 5,528—————28. Cincinnati: 5,938—————-28. Cleveland: 9,217
29. Fort Wayne: 4,241———-29. Cleveland: 5,392—————-29. Akron: 8,007
30. Toledo: 4,150—————-30. Akron: 4,567———————30. Cincinnati: 7,906
31. Akron: 3,497—————–31. Grand Rapids: 3,695———–31. Grand Rapids: 7,056
32. Grand Rapids: 2,847——32. Toledo: 3,125——————–32. Toledo: 3,679
33. Dayton: 1,827—————33. Dayton: 1,231——————–33. Dayton: 848

Columbus maintained its rank since 2005.

Rank by City of Total Hispanic Population by Year
2005——————————————–2010————————————2017

1. Chicago: 778,234—————1. San Antonio: 853,654———-1. San Antonio: 969,065
2. San Antonio: 735,458———–2. Chicago: 763,968—————2. Chicago: 787,978
3. San Jose: 279,420————–3. San Jose: 318,389————–3. San Jose: 332,603
4. Austin: 223,361——————4. Austin: 288,130——————4. Austin: 324,973
5. Las Vegas: 153,813————5. Las Vegas: 181,923————-5. Las Vegas: 219,220
6. Sacramento: 111,559———6. Sacramento: 124,461———–6. Sacramento: 141,752
7. Milwaukee: 80,945————-7. Milwaukee: 104,619————-7. Milwaukee: 133,812
8. Providence: 60,008————-8. Charlotte: 96,246—————-8. Charlotte: 122,904
9. Charlotte: 58,466—————9. Indianapolis: 78,467————-9. Indianapolis: 93,042
10. Wichita: 49,928—————10. Providence: 76,645————10. Orlando: 86,305
11. Indianapolis: 47,764———11. Nashville: 61,212—————11. Providence: 77,893
12. Detroit: 46,993—————-12. Wichita: 59,823——————12. Nashville: 69,574
13. Orlando: 43,978————–13. Portland: 58,986—————–13. Wichita: 68,389
14. Portland: 43,324————–14. Orlando: 56,061—————–14. Portland: 67,551
15. Omaha: 39,674—————15. Omaha: 53,661——————15. Omaha: 66,056
16. Nashville: 37,463————-16. Kansas City: 49,800————16. Columbus: 55,782
17. Minneapolis: 37,017———17. Detroit: 45,580——————-17. Detroit: 48,328
18. Kansas City: 35,995———18. Columbus: 43,276————–18. Cleveland: 47,962
19. Grand Rapids: 32,368——19. Cleveland: 36,067————–19. Minneapolis: 46,375
20. Cleveland: 32,085———–20. Minneapolis: 34,504———–20. Kansas City: 45,975
21. Columbus: 24,607———–21. Grand Rapids: 30,659——21. Virginia Beach: 36,723
22. St. Paul: 22,402————–22. Virginia Beach: 29,206—–22. Grand Rapids: 32,016
23. Virginia Beach: 20,803—–23. St. Paul: 28,725————–23. Des Moines: 31,333
24. Des Moines: 18,952——–24. Des Moines: 23,832———-24. St. Paul: 30,007
25. Toledo: 18,404————–25. Toledo: 21,346——————25. Fort Wayne: 24,724
26. Fort Wayne: 16,438——-26. Fort Wayne: 19,576————26. Toledo: 22,796
27. Madison: 11,997———–27. Lincoln: 16,007——————27. Lincoln: 21,921
28. Lincoln: 9,672—————28. Madison: 14,062—————28. Madison: 20,741
29. St. Louis: 8,268————-29. St. Louis: 11,207————–29. St. Louis: 12,447
30. Pittsburgh: 5,018———-30. Cincinnati: 8,710—————30. Cincinnati: 11,787
31. Cincinnati: 3,855———–31. Pittsburgh: 7,282————–31. Pittsburgh: 9,212
32. Akron: 3,485—————-32. Akron: 3,990——————–32. Dayton: 5,765
33. Dayton: 1,693————–33. Dayton: 3,180——————-33. Akron: 5,536

Columbus moved up from 21st to 16th in the total Hispanic population.

Rank by City of Total Other, non-Hispanic Population by Year
2005——————————————-2010—————————————–2017

1. Chicago: 38,694—————1. Chicago: 37,379——————–1. Chicago: 58,721
2. San Jose: 29,456————2. San Jose: 32,439——————–2. Portland: 41,595
3. Sacramento: 21,370———-3. Sacramento: 30,900—————3. San Jose: 41,175
4. Portland: 21,164————–4. Portland: 28,027———————4. Sacramento: 40,066
5. Indianapolis: 20,242———-5. Las Vegas: 24,521—————–5. Columbus: 34,467
6. Columbus: 20,096————-6. Columbus: 23,738—————–6. Indianapolis: 32,525
7. San Antonio: 19,130———-7. San Antonio: 20,778————–7. Las Vegas: 31,889
8. Minneapolis: 18,580———-8. Minneapolis: 20,753————–8. San Antonio: 31,341
9. Detroit: 18,324—————–9. Virginia Beach: 20,268———-9. Austin: 30,541
10. Las Vegas: 18,304———-10. Indianapolis: 20,086———-10. Charlotte: 28,632
11. Virginia Beach: 16,685—-11. Charlotte: 18,360————–11. Virginia Beach: 24,458
12. Milwaukee: 14,476———-12. Detroit: 16,776—————–12. Nashville: 23,334
13. Kansas City: 13,399——–13. Milwaukee: 16,311———–13. Minneapolis: 21,808
14. Austin: 13,261—————-14. Wichita: 16,091—————14. Milwaukee: 20,166
15. Charlotte: 11,771————-15. Omaha: 15,519————–15. Wichita: 18,763
16. Wichita: 11,545—————16. Austin: 14,915—————-16. Kansas City: 16,743
17. Omaha: 8,552—————–17. Kansas City: 14,668——–17. Omaha: 15,988
18. St. Paul: 7,741—————-18. Nashville: 14,227————18. Cleveland: 15,586
19. Toledo: 7,447—————–19. St. Paul: 13,098————–19. Orlando: 13,429
20. Cincinnati: 7,315————-20. Pittsburgh: 11,280———–20. Detroit: 12,461
21. Cleveland: 7,004————-21. Toledo: 10,134—————21. Pittsburgh: 11,890
22. Providence: 6,488———–22. Akron: 9,020——————22. St. Paul: 11,220
23. Pittsburgh: 6,138————23. Fort Wayne: 8,513———–23. Fort Wayne: 11,180
24. St. Louis: 6,058————–24. Cleveland: 8,276————-24. Lincoln: 11,037
25. Fort Wayne: 5,774———-25. St. Louis: 7,704————–25. Toledo: 11,009
26. Orlando: 5,731—————26. Lincoln: 7,483—————-26. Cincinnati: 10,995
27. Nashville: 5,687————-27. Grand Rapids: 7,376——–27. Des Moines: 9,627
28. Madison: 4,708————–28. Orlando: 7,251—————28. Akron: 8,894
29. Lincoln: 4,508—————-29. Cincinnati: 7,230————29. Madison: 8,292
30. Akron: 4,431—————–30. Madison: 7,177————–30. St. Louis: 7,543
31. Grand Rapids: 4,154——31. Providence: 6,471———–31. Grand Rapids: 7,260
32. Des Moines: 2,674———32. Des Moines: 5,598———-32. Providence: 6,539
33. Dayton: 1,382—————33. Dayton: 3,025—————-33. Dayton: 5,629

Finally, Columbus moved up from 6th to 5th in the total of Other, non-Hispanic population. Overall, Columbus ranks fairly well in totals vs. its peers, as one might expect given that it is one of the largest cities in the grouping. However, to truly find out how it compares with these other cities, you have to look at percentages, which tells how much of the city’s population is made up of each group.

Columbus ranks in the middle of the pack for its % of Non-Hispanic White population. Like in most cities, even while this demographic is growing in total numbers in Columbus, the % of total population continues to fall.

Columbus ranked in the top 3rd of peer cities for its % of Non-Hispanic Black population.

Columbus also ranked in the top 3rd for its Non-Hispanic Asian population.

Columbus ranks poorly with Hispanics in the group, ranking near the bottom.

Finally, Columbus ranks in the middle for its Non-Hispanic Other population.

So what’s the final ranking for where Columbus is with diversity compared to its peers in 2017? To find out, I assigned points based on ranked position in each 5 racial categories and took the average of the positions in each 5. The result is that the higher the average number, the lower the overall diversity.

So based on this, Columbus ranks in the top half of national and Midwest peers for diversity.

*Note: Normally, Youngstown would be included, but the data was not available.



Suburban vs. Urban Growth in US Metros





Now that we have the full set of 2017 population estimates, I wanted to examine a popular claim a little more closely. The claim is that suburban growth far exceeds that of core cities/counties, and it’s often repeated in media throughout the country. One of the things that always bothered me about this was the constant use of basing this claim largely on % change. This has a major flaw, one that I will go into more below.

For this little study, I will look at the top 50 largest metro areas.

First, let’s look at the total change in the whole metro area, the core county and the core city between the 2010 Census and July 1, 2017. They will be ranked here by total metro change.
1. Dallas, TX: +973,431
2. Houston, TX: +971,941
3. New York, NY: +754,396
4. Atlanta, GA: +597,993
5. Miami, FL: +592,525
6. Washington, DC: +580,228
7. Phoenix, AZ: +544,141
8. Los Angeles, CA: +524,946
9. Seattle, WA: +427,240
10. Austin, TX: +399,507
11. San Francisco, Ca: +391,784
12. Orlando, FL: +375,432
13. Riverside, CA: +355,705
14. Denver, CO: +344,635
15. San Antonio, TX: +331,458
16. Charlotte, NC: +308,313
17. Tampa, FL: +307,930
18. Boston, MA: +283,935
19. Las Vegas, NV: +252,810
20. Minneapolis, MN: +251,760
21. San Diego, CA: +242,343
22. Nashville, TN: +232,162
23. Portland, OR: +227,167
24. Raleigh, NC: +204,590
25. Columbus: +176,724
26. Sacramento, CA: +175,740
27. San Jose, CA: +161,523
28. Jacksonville, FL: +159,382
29. Indianapolis, IN: +140,524
30. Oklahoma City, OK: +130,746
31. Philadelphia, PA: +130,427
32. Kansas City, MO: +119,574
33. Salt Lake City, UT: +115,297
34. Baltimore, MD: +97,572
35. Richmond, VA: +86,117
36. New Orleans, LA: +85,903
37. Chicago: +71,499
38. Cincinnati: +64,396
39. Louisville, KY: +58,247
40. Virginia Beach, VA: +48,429
41. Memphis, TN: +23,433
42. Birmingham, AL: +21,751
43. Milwaukee, WI: +20,282
44. Providence, RI: +19,912
45. St. Louis, MO: +19,575
46. Detroit: +16,685
47. Buffalo, NY: +1,239
48. Hartford, CT: -2,139
49. Cleveland: -18,427
50. Pittsburgh, PA: -22,924

Now that we have the total growth, let’s break it down a bit more.

How much of the total metro change occurred in the core county of each metro? This will be ranked by the highest to lowest % occurring in the core county.

Core County Change—————-Core County % of Total Metro
1. Las Vegas: +252,810———————-100.00%
2. San Diego: +242,343———————-100.00%
3. San Jose: +161,523**———————100.00%
4. Buffalo: +6,488——————————100.00%
5. Salt Lake City: +105,994——————91.93%
6. Phoenix: +489,916————————–90.03%
7. Raleigh: +171,210————————–83.68%
8. San Antonio: +243,805——————–73.56%
9. Columbus: +128,567———————–72.75%
10. Los Angeles: +344,902——————65.70%
11. Sacramento: +111,827——————63.63%
12. Seattle: +257,400————————-60.25%
13. New York: +447,565*——————–59.33%
14. Tampa: +179,340————————-58.24%
15. Houston: +560,521———————–57.67%
16. New Orleans: +49,463——————-57.58%
17. Jacksonville: +88,902——————–55.78%
18. Riverside: +198,100———————-55.69%
19. Providence: +10,870———————54.59%
20. Orlando: +203,019————————54.08%
21. Oklahoma City: +69,325—————-53.02%
22. Louisville: +30,052———————–51.59%
23. Charlotte: +157,209———————50.99%
24. Austin: +202,432————————-50.67%
25. Miami: +255,361————————-43.10%
26. Memphis: +9,317————————39.76%
27. Minneapolis: +99,599——————-39.56%
28. Indianapolis: +46,689——————33.22%
29. Philadelphia: +41,866——————32.10%
30. Portland: +72,221———————–31.79%
31. Denver: +104,463**———————30.31%
32. Nashville: +64,663———————-27.85%
33. Boston: +75,916————————-26.74%
34. Richmond: +22,818**——————26.50%
35. Virginia Beach: +12,441**————25.69%
36. Dallas: +250,009————————25.68%
37. Chicago: +16,588———————–23.20%
38. Milwaukee: +4,350———————21.45%
39. Kansas City: +24,737—————–20.69%
40. Atlanta: +120,843———————-20.21%
41. San Francisco: +79,128**————20.20%
42. Cincinnati: +11,448——————–17.78%
43. Washington, DC: +92,249**———15.90%
44. Birmingham: +731———————-3.36%
45. Hartford: +1,374————————-0.0%
46. Baltimore: -9,313**———————-0.0%
47. St. Louis: -10,668**———————0.0%
48. Detroit: -66,968————————–0.0%
49. Pittsburgh: -300———————– -1.31%
50. Cleveland: -31,608——————- -100.00%

*New York includes all 5 main boroughs, so it is different than core county, but still represents the urban center of the metro area.
**Core County and City are consolidated, or city exists as separate entity.

Going down even further, let’s compare the core city to the total metro, again ranked by %.

Core City Change————————Core City % of Total Metro
1. New York: +447,565————————-59.33%
2. New Orleans: +49,463———————–57.58%
3. San Antonio: +184,539———————-55.67%
4. San Jose: +89,375—————————55.33%
5. Columbus: +92,137————————–52.14%
6. Oklahoma City: +63,649——————–48.68%
7. San Diego: +112,114————————46.26%
8. Jacksonville: +70,278———————–44.09%
9. Philadelphia: +54,857———————–42.06%
10. Charlotte: +127,611————————41.39%
11. Louisville: +24,012————————-41.22%
12. Austin: +160,325—————————40.13%
13. Los Angeles: +207,138——————-39.46%
14. Las Vegas: +64,468———————–36.68%
15. Phoenix: +180,446————————-33.16%
16. Raleigh: +65,098—————————31.82%
17. Denver: +104,463————————–30.31%
18. Indianapolis: +42,557———————30.28%
19. Chicago: +20,852————————–29.16%
20. Portland: +64,029————————–28.19%
21. Nashville: +64,562————————-27.81%
22. Seattle: +116,085————————–27.17%
23. Richmond: +22,818**———————26.50%
24. Virginia Beach: +12,441**—————25.69%
25. Kansas City: +29,156———————24.38%
26. Boston: +67,500—————————23.77%
27. Memphis: +5,347————————–22.82%
28. Houston: +212,454————————21.86%
29. San Francisco**: +79,128—————20.20%
30. Sacramento: +35,413———————20.15%
31. Minneapolis: +41,412———————16.45%
32. Tampa: +49,721—————————-16.15%
33. Washington, DC: +92,249**————-15.90%
34. Dallas: +143,259—————————14.72%
35. Salt Lake City: +14,104——————-12.23%
36. Providence: +2,351————————11.81%
37. Orlando: +41,957—————————11.18%
38. Atlanta: +66,287—————————-11.08%
39. Miami: +54,122——————————9.13%
40. Cincinnati: +4,356————————–6.76%
41. Riverside: +23,857————————-6.71%
42. Milwaukee: +518—————————2.55%
43. Birmingham: -1,527———————–0.0%
44. Buffalo: -5,218——————————0.0%
45. Baltimore: -9,313**————————0.0%
46. St. Louis: -10,668**———————–0.0%
47. Detroit: -40,673—————————-0.0%
48. Pittsburgh: -3,297———————– -14.38%
49. Cleveland: -10,889——————— -59.09%
50. Hartford: -1,375————————- -64.28%

*Again, I used the 5 boroughs of New York here, so the numbers don’t change.
**See above.

Finally, because core counties and cities can be absolutely huge, like in Phoenix, I wanted to take see the ratio of people moving vs. the area size. To do this, I divided the growth by the land area of each core county and city.

So basically, how many people moved there per each square mile.

Core County Ratio——————————-Core City Ratio
1. San Francisco: 1,687.52————————-1,687.52
2. Washington, DC: 1,511.04———————-1,511.04
3. New York: 1,475.51——————————-1,475.51
4. Boston: 1,308.90———————————–1,394.05
5. Denver: 681.30————————————–681.30
6. Richmond: 379.67———————————-379.67
7. Houston: 329.14————————————354.33
8. Philadelphia: 312.43——————————-408.83
9. Charlotte: 300.02———————————–428.66
10. New Orleans: 291.95—————————-291.95
11. Dallas: 286.38————————————-420.73
12. Columbus: 241.67——————————-424.26
13. Atlanta: 229.30———————————–497.65
14. Orlando: 224.83———————————-398.75
15. Raleigh: 205.04———————————-455.87
16. Austin: 204.48————————————538.18
17. San Antonio: 196.62—————————-400.36
18. Minneapolis: 179.78—————————–754.32
19. Tampa: 175.82————————————438.38
20. Portland: 167.57———————————-481.42
21. Salt Lake City: 142.85—————————129.28
22. Miami: 134.54————————————-1,503.81
23. Nashville: 128.30———————————128.01
24. San Jose: 125.21———————————503.49
25. Seattle: 121.64————————————1,384.11
26. Indianapolis: 117.81——————————117.72
27. Jacksonville: 116.67——————————94.02
28. Sacramento: 115.88——————————361.65
29. Oklahoma City: 97.78—————————-105.89
30. Los Angeles: 84.99——————————-441.90
31. Louisville: 79.08———————————–63.11
32. San Diego: 57.84———————————344.76
33. Phoenix: 53.25————————————348.59
34. Virginia Beach: 49.96—————————-49.96
35. Kansas City: 40.96——————————-92.57
36. Las Vegas: 32.04———————————474.73
37. Cincinnati: 28.20———————————-55.89
38. Riverside: 27.49———————————–293.70
39. Providence: 26.51——————————–127.08
40. Milwaukee: 18.05———————————5.39
41. Chicago: 17.5————————————–91.72
42. Memphis: 12.21———————————–16.97
43. Buffalo: 6.22————————————– -128.52
44. Harford: 1.87————————————- -79.02
45. Birmingham: 0.66——————————- -10.46
46. Pittsburgh: -0.41——————————— -59.53
47. Cleveland: -69.16——————————- -140.14
48. Detroit: -109.42———————————- -293.14
49. Baltimore: -115.12—————————— -115.12
50. St. Louis: -172.34——————————- -172.34

So what’s all this mean? Columbus performs particularly well here. Franklin County attracts a high percentage of the total metro population, and Columbus itself is one of only 5 cities with more than 50% of the metro growth entering the city limits. Even accounting for area size, Columbus does fairly well. This suggests that urban growth there is stronger than in most cities.