2020 Census Metro Area Comparison




After a very long delay, the 2020 Census data has arrived! In this first series of related posts, we will compared Columbus to national peer and Midwest metro areas.  Metros used here are those that were within 1.5-2.5 million in either 2010 or 2020, as well as Midwest metros of 500,000 or more in either 2010 or 2020, and all Ohio metros.

Total Population by Metro Area by Year
Green metros moved up in the rankings 2010-2020 and red moved down.

Rank

2010

2020

1

Chicago: 9,461,105

Chicago: 9,618,502

2

Detroit: 4,296,250

Detroit: 4,392,041

3

Minneapolis: 3,346,859

Minneapolis: 3,690,261

4

St. Louis: 2,787,701

St. Louis: 2,820,253

5

Pittsburgh: 2,356,285

Orlando: 2,673,376

6

Charlotte: 2,243,960

Charlotte: 2,660,329

7

Portland: 2,226,009

San Antonio: 2,558,143

8

Sacramento: 2,149,127

Portland: 2,512,859

9

San Antonio: 2,142,508

Sacramento: 2,379,382

10

Cincinnati: 2,137,667

Pittsburgh: 2,370,930

11

Orlando: 2,134,411

Austin: 2,283,371

12

Cleveland: 2,077,240

Las Vegas: 2,265,461

13

Kansas City: 2,009,240

Cincinnati: 2,256,884

14

Las Vegas: 1,951,269

Kansas City: 2,192,035

15

Columbus: 1,901,974

Columbus: 2,138,926

16

Indianapolis: 1,887,877

Indianapolis: 2,111,040

17

San Jose: 1,836,911

Cleveland: 2,088,251

18

Austin: 1,716,289

San Jose: 2,000,251

19

Virginia Beach: 1,713,954

Nashville: 1,989,519

20

Nashville: 1,646,200

Virginia Beach: 1,799,674

21

Providence: 1,600,852

Providence: 1,676,579

22

Milwaukee: 1,555,908

Jacksonville: 1,605,848

23

Jacksonville: 1,345,596

Milwaukee: 1,574,731

24

Grand Rapids: 993,670

Grand Rapids: 1,087,592

25

Omaha: 865,350

Omaha: 967,604

26

Dayton: 799,232

Dayton: 809,248

27

Akron: 703,200

Des Moines: 707,915

28

Toledo: 651,429

Akron: 701,449

29

Wichita: 623,061

Madison: 670,447

30

Des Moines: 606,475

Wichita: 643,768

31

Madison: 605,435

Toledo: 641,549

32

Youngstown: 565,773

Lansing: 548,248

33

Lansing: 534,684

Youngstown: 531,420

34

Canton: 404,422

Canton: 396,669

Columbus largely held its own in the rankings this decade, but it poised to eventually pass a few of the metros currently ahead of it.

Total Metro Growth by Metro 2010-2020
1. Austin: +567,082
2. Orland: +538,965
3. Charlotte: +416,369
4. San Antonio: +415,635
5. Minneapolis: +343,402
6. Nashville: +343,319
7. Las Vegas: +314,192
8. Portland: +286,850
9. Jacksonville: +260,252
10. Sacramento: +248,255
11. Columbus: +236,952
12. Indianapolis: +223,163
13. Kansas City: +182,693
14. San Jose: +163,557
15. Chicago: +157,397
16. Cincinnati: +119,217
17. Omaha: +102,254
18. Des Moines: +101,440
19. Detroit: +95,791
20. Grand Rapids: +93,922
21. Virginia Beach: +85,720
22. Providence: +75,727
23. Madison: +65,012
24. St. Louis: +32,552
25. Wichita: +20,707
26. Milwaukee: +18,823
27. Pittsburgh: +14,645
28. Lansing: +13,564
29. Cleveland: +11,011
30. Dayton: +10,016
31. Akron: -1,751
32. Canton: -7,753
33. Toledo: -9,880
34. Youngstown: -34,353

Columbus had the 2nd highest growth in the Midwest after Minneapolis, and is growing much faster than 3 metros currently ranked ahead of it- Cincinnati, Kansas City and Pittsburgh- which it will likely pass at some point in the future. For Cincinnati, for example, current growth rates would suggest Columbus will pass it sometime around 2027. In any event, Columbus’ metro growth was the highest in its history, and about 10,000 more than occurred during the 2000s.

Data related to metro components of growth, such as immigration and deaths vs. births, have yet to be released. Those should come out sometime next month, and will be posted here when they do.