The Census has just released 2019 city population estimates. These estimates are good for July 1, 2019. Let’s take a look at how Columbus compares to other cities in Ohio.
In 2010, 4 Columbus metro communities were in the top 30. By last year, 6 were, with more poised to enter the list in the coming years. This represents the Columbus region’s growing influence in the state and how its share of the state’s population continues to increase.
2018 to 2019, Columbus had 12 cities in the top 30, a lower number than the average of the decade. This is not necessarily indicating a slowdown in growth within the metro, however. The final year before a decennial census, population estimates tend to be used for final adjustments. This means that if a city is thought to have been estimated too high or too low through the decade, the final estimate year is adjusted accordingly and not necessarily according to true growth. The point of estimates is to get a snapshot of the population at the time of the estimate, but they are constantly being changed every time a new estimate comes out. This usually leaves the final estimate year as showing the slowest growth. This was true for 2008-2009 as well.
Out of the 101 communities of any size in the Metro, 81 of them have either steady populations or estimated growth since 2010. Most of the 20 that have shown declines are very small communities in the Appalachia counties of Perry and Hocking, the furthest removed from Columbus’ influence.
The Census has released 2019 metro population estimates. This comparison uses those figures to rank the Columbus metro with other metros under the following categories: Ohio metros with at least 250,000 people. Midwest metros with at least 500,000 people. National metros with 1.5-2.599 million people.
Total Metro Area Population Census 2010, July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019 Census 2010——————————-July 1, 2018————————July 1, 2019 1. Chicago, IL: 9,461,105————-1. Chicago: 9,484,158———–1. Chicago: 9,458,539 2. Detroit, MI: 4,296,250—————2. Detroit: 4,322,084————-2. Detroit: 4,319,629 3. Minneapolis, MN: 3,348,8459—-3. Minneapolis: 3,610,061–3. Minneapolis: 3,640,043 4. St. Louis, MO: 2,787,701———-4. St. Louis: 2,803,958———4. St. Louis: 2,803,228 5. Pittsburgh, PA: 2,356,285——5. San Antonio: 2,512,379—5. San Antonio: 2,550,960 6. San Juan, PR: 2,350,126———-6. Portland: 2,473,350———6. Portland: 2,492,412 7. Portland, OR: 2,226,009——-7. Sacramento: 2,341,940—–7. Sacramento: 2,363,730 8. Sacramento, CA: 2,149,127—–8. Pittsburgh: 2,322,653——–8. Pittsburgh: 2,317,600 9. San Antonio, TX: 2,142,516—–9. Las Vegas: 2,226,115——-9. Las Vegas: 2,266,715 10. Cincinnati: 2,114,580———–10. Cincinnati: 2,211,936——-10. Austin: 2,227,083 11. Cleveland: 2,077,240———–11. Austin: 2,165,497———–11. Cincinnati: 2,221,208 12. Kansas City, MO: 2,009,342-12. Kansas City: 2,144,427–12. Kanas City: 2,157,990 13. Las Vegas, NV: 1,951,269—–13. Columbus: 2,104,194—–13. Columbus: 2,122,271 14. Columbus: 1,901,974——-14. Cleveland: 2,053,795—–14. Indianapolis: 2,074,537 15. Indianapolis, IN: 1,887,877—15. Indianapolis: 2,052,368—15. Cleveland: 2,048,449 16. San Jose, CA: 1,836,911—16. San Juan: 2,022,139———16. San Juan: 2,023,227 17. Austin, TX: 1,716,289————17. San Jose: 1,993,804—–17. San Jose: 1,990,660 18. Virginia Beach, VA: 1,676,822—18. Nashville: 1,904,726—18. Nashville: 1,934,317 19. Nashville: 1,670,890—19. Virginia Beach: 1,763,713–19. Virginia Beach: 1,768,901 20. Providence, RI: 1,600,852—-20. Providence: 1,622,379—20. Providence: 1,624,578 21. Milwaukee, WI: 1,555,908—–21. Milwaukee: 1,573,995—21. Milwaukee: 1,575,179 22. Jacksonville, FL: 1,345,596-22. Jacksonville: 1,532,663–22. Jacksonville: 1,559,514 23. Grand Rapids: 988,938–23. Grand Rapids: 1,071,370-23. Grand Rapids: 1,077,370 24. Omaha, NE: 865,350————–24. Omaha: 940,970—-24. Omaha: 949,442 25. Dayton: 799,232——————–25. Dayton: 805,088—–25. Dayton: 807,611 26. Akron: 703,200———————26. Akron: 703,855——–26. Akron: 703,479 27. Wichita, KS: 630,919————27. Des Moines: 690,915—27. Des Moines: 699,292 28. Toledo: 610,001——————28.Madison: 659,927——–28. Madison: 664,865 29. Madison, WI: 605,435———–29. Toledo: 643,089——–29. Toledo: 641,816 30. Des Moines, IA: 569,633——-30. Wichita: 637,519——30. Wichita: 640,218 31. Youngstown: 565,773———–31. Lansing: 548,674—–31. Lansing: 550,391 32. Lansing, MI: 534,684————32. Youngstown: 538,226—32. Youngstown: 536,081 33. Canton: 404,422——————33. Canton: 401,165—-33. Canton: 399,927
Charlotte and Orlando metros, previous national peers, have grown past the population standard limit of 2.599 million and are no longer used. Lansing and San Juan have been added.
Metro Area Total Growth Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019—————————–July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Austin: +510,794————————————–1. Austin: +61,586 2. San Antonio: +408,452——————————2. Las Vegas: +40,600 3. Las Vegas: +315,446——————————–3. San Antonio: +38,581 4. Minneapolis: +306,410——————————4. Minneapolis: +29,982 5. Nashville: +288,117———————————-5. Nashville: +29,591 6. Portland: +266,403———————————–6. Jacksonville: +26,851 7. Columbus: +220,297——————————–7. Indianapolis: +22,169 8. Sacramento: +214,603——————————8. Sacramento: +21,790 9. Jacksonville: +213,918——————————9. Portland: +19,062 10. Indianapolis: +186,660—————————-10. Columbus: +18,077 11. San Jose: +153,749——————————–11. Kansas City: +13,563 12. Kansas City: +148,648—————————–12. Cincinnati: +9,272 13. Des Moines: +92,817——————————-13. Omaha: +8,472 14. Omaha: +84,092————————————-14. Des Moines: +8,377 15. Grand Rapids: +83,700—————————–15. Grand Rapids: +6,000 16. Cincinnati: +83,541———————————-16. Virginia Beach: +5,188 17. Madison: +59,430————————————17. Madison: +4,938 18. Virginia Beach: +54,947—————————-18. Wichita: +2,699 19. Providence: +23,726——————————–19. Dayton: +2,523 20. Detroit: +23,379—————————————20. Providence: +2,199 21. Milwaukee: +19,271———————————21. Lansing: +1,717 22. Wichita: +17,157————————————-22. Milwaukee: +1,184 23. Lansing: +15,707————————————23. San Juan: +1,088 24. St. Louis: +15,527———————————–24. Akron: -376 25. Dayton: +8,379—————————————25. St. Louis: -730 26. Akron: +279——————————————-26. Canton: -810 27. Chicago: -2,566————————————–27. Toledo: -1,273 28. Canton: -6,902—————————————28. Youngstown: -2,45 29. Toledo: -9,613—————————————-29. Detroit: -2,455 30. Cleveland: -28,791———————————-30. San Jose: -3,144 31. Youngstown: -29,692——————————-31. Pittsburgh: -5,053 32. Pittsburgh: -36,685———————————32. Cleveland: -5,346 33. San Juan: -326,899——————————–33. Chicago: -25,619
Now let’s look at the components of population change for metro areas.
Total Births By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————–July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Chicago: 1,085,985——————————-1. Chicago: 108,425 2. Detroit: 462,696————————————2. Detroit: 48,879 3. Minneapolis: 419,634—————————–3. Minneapolis: 44,602 4. St. Louis: 310,273———————————4. San Antonio: 32,592 5. San Antonio: 300,032—————————-5. St. Louis: 31,686 6. Kansas City: 253,384—————————-6. Columbus: 27,096 7. Cincinnati: 253,180——————————-7. Las Vegas: 27,048 8. Portland: 253,110———————————8. Cincinnati: 26,892 9. Sacramento: 252,144—————————9. Sacramento: 26,752 10. Columbus: 251,291—————————10. Kanas City: 26,497 11. Las Vegas: 247,787—————————11. Indianapolis: 26,300 12. Indianapolis: 246,099————————-12. Portland: 26,204 13. Austin: 239,673———————————13. Austin: 26,115 14. San Jose: 220,891—————————–14. Nashville: 24,308 15. Pittsburgh: 218,159—————————-15. Pittsburgh: 22,570 16. Nashville: 216,969—————————–16. San Jose: 22,487 17. Cleveland: 212,523—————————-17. Cleveland: 22,003 18. Virginia Beach: 209,617———————-18. Virginia Beach: 21,589 19. Milwaukee: 182,815—————————19. Milwaukee: 18,927 20. Jacksonville: 167,526————————-20. Jacksonville: 18,592 21. Providence: 152,794————————–21. Providence: 16,182 22. Grand Rapids: 125,556———————-22. Grand Rapids: 13,339 23. Omaha: 122,306——————————23. Omaha: 12,848 24. Dayton: 88,783——————————–24. Dayton: 9,391 25. Des Moines: 85,530————————–25. Des Moines: 9,311 26. Wichita: 81,503——————————–26. Wichita: 8,057 27. Toledo: 71,848———————————27. Toledo: 7,428 28. Akron: 69,159———————————-28. Akron: 7,196 29. Madison: 67,559——————————29. Madison: 6,988 30. Lansing: 54,679——————————-30. Lansing: 5,702 31. Youngstown: 51,745————————-31. Youngstown: 5,450 32. Canton: 40,730——————————–32. Canton: 4,254
Components of change stats are not available for San Juan.
Total Deaths By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————————July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Chicago: -647,739——————————————-1. Chicago: -74,501 2. Detroit: -377,943———————————————2. Detroit: -42,151 3. Pittsburgh: -253,686—————————————-3. St. Louis: -27,669 4. St. Louis: -241,884——————————————4. Pittsburgh: -27,387 5. Minneapolis: -210,510————————————-5. Minneapolis: -24,290 6. Cleveland: -198,044—————————————-6. Cleveland: -21,464 7. Cincinnati: -179,563—————————————-7. Cincinnati: -20,279 8. Sacramento: -157,234————————————-8. Sacramento: -18,933 9. Portland: -156,592——————————————9. San Antonio: -18,551 10. Kansas City: -155,166———————————–10. Portland: -18,458 11. San Antonio: -153,339———————————–11. Las Vegas: -17,919 12. Indianapolis: -148,608———————————–12. Kansas City: -17,692 13. Columbus: -142,665————————————–13. Columbus: -16,704 14. Las Vegas: -142,415————————————-14. Indianapolis: -16,678 15. Providence: -139,006————————————15. Virginia Beach: -15,280 16. Virginia Beach: -131,065——————————–16. Providence: -15,189 17. Nashville: -128,228—————————————17. Nashville: -15,122 18. Milwaukee: -123,806————————————-18. Jacksonville: -14,089 19. Jacksonville: -114,660———————————–19. Milwaukee: -13,810 20. San Jose: -94,587—————————————-20. San Jose: -11,582 21. Austin: -89,867——————————————–21. Austin: -11,445 22. Dayton: -77,893——————————————-22. Dayton: -8,506 23. Grand Rapids: -69,869———————————-23. Grand Rapids: -7,947 24. Akron: -65,852——————————————–24. Akron: -7,196 25. Youngstown: -64,558————————————25. Omaha: -6,931 26. Omaha: -62,030——————————————26. Youngstown: -6,842 27. Toledo: -59,436——————————————-27. Toledo: -6,624 28. Wichita: -51,734——————————————28. Wichita: 5,732 29. Des Moines: -44,857————————————29. Des Moines: 5,175 30. Canton: -41,233——————————————30. Lansing: -4,577 31. Lansing: -40,586—————————————–31. Madison: -4,453 32. Madison: -39,499—————————————-32. Canton: -4,395
Total Net Natural Change (Births vs. Deaths) By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————————July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Chicago: 438,246———————————————1. Chicago: 33,924 2. Minneapolis: 209,124—————————————-2. Minneapolis: 20,312 3. Austin: 149,806———————————————–3. Austin: 14,670 4. San Antonio: 146,693—————————————4. San Antonio: 14,041 5. San Jose: 126,304——————————————-5. San Jose: 10,905 6. Columbus: 108,626——————————————6. Columbus: 10,392 7. Las Vegas: 105,372—————————————–7. Indianapolis: 9,622 8. Kansas City: 98,218—————————————–8. Nashville: 9,186 9. Indianapolis: 97,491—————————————–9. Las Vegas: 9,129 10. Portland: 96,518——————————————-10. Kansas City: 8,805 11. Sacramento: 94,910————————————–11. Sacramento: 7,819 12. Nashville: 88,741——————————————12. Portland: 7,746 13. Detroit: 84,753———————————————-13. Detroit: 6,728 14. Virginia Beach: 78,552———————————–14. Cincinnati: 6,613 15. Cincinnati: 73,617—————————————–15. Virginia Beach: 6,309 16. St. Louis: 68,389——————————————-16. Omaha: 5,917 17. Omaha: 60,276———————————————17. Grand Rapids: 5,392 18. Milwaukee: 59,009—————————————–18. Milwaukee: 5,117 19. Grand Rapids: 55,687————————————19. Jacksonville: 4,503 20. Jacksonville: 52,866————————————–20. Des Moines: 4,136 21. Des Moines: 40,673————————————–21. St. Louis: 4,017 22. Wichita: 29,769——————————————–22. Madison: 2,535 23. Madison: 28,060——————————————23. Wichita: 2,325 24. Cleveland: 14,479—————————————-24. Lansing: 1,125 25. Lansing: 14,093——————————————25. Providence: 993 26. Providence: 13,788————————————–26. Dayton: 885 27. Toledo: 12,412——————————————–27. Toledo: 804 28. Dayton: 10,890——————————————-28. Cleveland: 539 29. Akron: 3,307———————————————-29. Akron: 0 30. Canton: -503———————————————-30. Canton: -141 31. Youngstown: -12,813———————————–31. Youngstown: -1,392 32. Pittsburgh: -35,527————————————–32. Pittsburgh: -4,817
Total Domestic Migration By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————————July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Austin: 293,162———————————————–1. Austin: 41,334 2. San Antonio; 214,509—————————————2. Las Vegas: 31,643 3. Las Vegas: 185,570—————————————–3. San Antonio: 21,987 4. Nashville: 158,336——————————————-4. Jacksonville: 20,051 5. Jacksonville: 126,483—————————————5. Nashville: 15,482 6. Portland: 121,473——————————————–6. Sacramento: 9,941 7. Sacramento: 69,723—————————————-7. Portland: 8,374 8. Columbus: 53,301——————————————-8. Indianapolis: 6,196 9. Indianapolis: 46,076—————————————-9. Columbus: 3,746 10. Des Moines: 40,183————————————–10. Des Moines: 3,718 11. Kansas City: 24,457————————————–11. Minneapolis: 3,202 12. Madison: 15,880——————————————12. Kansas City: 2,437 13. Minneapolis: 11,638————————————–13. Madison: 1,418 14. Grand Rapids: 10,903———————————–14. Cincinnati: 1,193 15. Omaha: 7,537———————————————-15. Omaha: 1,068 16. Canton: -7,124———————————————16. Dayton: 896 17. Dayton: -15,586——————————————–17. Wichita: -291 18. Akron: -15,683———————————————-18. Grand Rapids: -669 19. Lansing: -18,240——————————————-19. Canton: -677 20. Youngstown: -19,317————————————-20. Youngstown: -751 21. Cincinnati: -19,944—————————————-21. Lansing: -840 22. Wichita: -21,454——————————————-22. Akron: -1,190 23. Toledo: -27,740——————————————–23. Virginia Beach: -2,197 24. Pittsburgh: -31,804—————————————24. Toledo: -2,339 25. Providence: -38,503————————————-25. Pittsburgh: -2,658 26. Virginia Beach: -59,729———————————26. Providence: -3,185 27. Milwaukee: -64,395————————————–27. Milwaukee: -5,140 28. Cleveland: -78,763————————————–28. Cleveland: -7,250 29. St. Louis: -85,003—————————————-29. St. Louis: -7,685 30. San Jose: -124,105————————————-30. Detroit: -16,655 31. Detroit: -172,225—————————————–31. San Jose: -27,495 32. Chicago: -638,599—————————————32. Chicago: -74,950
Total International Migration By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————————July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Chicago: 197,093——————————————-1. Chicago: 15,257 2. San Jose: 152,520—————————————–2. San Jose: 13,371 3. Detroit: 110,907———————————————3. Detroit: 7,516 4. Minneapolis: 87,847—————————————4. Minneapolis: 6,645 5. Austin: 62,740———————————————–5. Indianapolis: 6,394 6. Columbus: 58,853——————————————6. Austin: 5,280 7. Sacramento: 51,225—————————————7. Nashville: 4,937 8. Providence: 49,015—————————————-8. Providence: 4,455 9. Portland: 47,983——————————————–9. Sacramento: 4,053 10. San Antonio: 45,348————————————10. Columbus: 4,032 11. Indianapolis: 43,502————————————-11. St. Louis: 2,991 12. Nashville: 39,422—————————————–12. Portland: 2,960 13. Virginia Beach: 36,319———————————-13. Pittsburgh: 2,555 14. Cleveland: 36,318—————————————-14. San Antonio: 2,504 15. Jacksonville: 34,089————————————-15. Kansas City: 2,377 16. St. Louis: 32,872—————————————–16. Jacksonville: 2,251 17. Cincinnati: 31,157—————————————-17. Cincinnati: 1,547 18. Pittsburgh: 30,654—————————————-18. Omaha: 1,517 19. Kansas City: 27,259————————————-19. Lansing: 1,452 20. Milwaukee: 25,298—————————————20. Cleveland: 1,433 21. Las Vegas: 23,319—————————————21. Grand Rapids: 1,316 22. Lansing: 19,865——————————————22. Milwaukee: 1,277 23. Grand Rapids: 17,629———————————-23. Virginia Beach: 1,165 24. Omaha: 16,785——————————————24. Madison: 988 25. Madison: 15,600—————————————–25. Akron: 836 26. Dayton: 13,473——————————————26. Dayton: 785 27. Akron: 13,086——————————————–27. Wichta: 688 28. Des Moines: 11,716————————————28. Des Moines: 519 29. Wichita: 9,096——————————————-29. Toledo: 270 30. Toledo: 5,646——————————————–30. Canton: 25 31. Youngstown: 2,675————————————-31. Youngstown: 25 32. Canton: 1,073——————————————–32. Las Vegas: -360
Total Net Migration By Metro Census 2010-July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 Census 2010-July 1, 2019———————————July 1, 2018-July 1, 2019 1. Austin: 355,902———————————————1. Austin: 46,614 2. San Antonio: 259,857————————————-2. Las Vegas: 31,283 3. Las Vegas: 208,889—————————————3. San Antonio: 24,491 4. Nasvhille: 197,758—————————————–4. Jacksonville: 22,302 5. Portland: 169,456——————————————5. Nashville: 20,419 6. Jacksonville: 160,572————————————-6. Sacramento: 13,994 7. Sacramento: 120,948————————————-7. Indianapolis: 12,590 8. Columbus: 112,154—————————————-8. Portland: 11,334 9. Minneapolis: 99,458—————————————9. Minneapolis: 9,847 10. Indianapolis: 89,578————————————10. Columbus: 7,778 11. Des Moines: 51,899————————————-11. Kansas City: 4,814 12. Kansas City: 51,716————————————-12. Des Moines: 4,237 13. Madison: 31,480——————————————13. Cincinnati: 2,740 14. Grand Rapids: 28,352———————————–14. Omaha: 2,585 15. San Jose: 28,415—————————————-15. Madison: 2,406 16. Omaha: 24,322——————————————-16. Dayton: 1,681 17. Cincinnati: 11,213—————————————-17. Providence: 1,270 18. Providence: 10,512————————————–18. Grand Rapids: 647 19. Lansing: 1,625——————————————–19. Lansing: 612 20. Pittsburgh: -1,150—————————————-20. Wichita: 397 21. Dayton: -2,113——————————————–21. Pittsburgh: -103 22. Akron: -2,597———————————————-22. Akron: -354 23. Canton: -6,051——————————————–23. Canton: -652 24. Wichita: -12,358——————————————24. Youngstown: -726 25. Youngstown: -16,642————————————25. Virginia Beach: -1,032 26. Toledo: -22,094——————————————-26. Toledo: -2,069 27. Virginia Beach: -23,410——————————–27. Milwaukee: -3,863 28. Milwaukee: -39,097————————————-28. St. Louis: -4,694 29. Cleveland: -42,445————————————–29. Cleveland: -5,817 30. St. Louis: -52,131—————————————-30. Detroit: -9,139 31. Detroit: -61,318——————————————31. San Jose: -14,124 32. Chicago: -441,506————————————–32. Chicago: -59,693
The 2019 metro population estimates show Columbus largely holding its own against state, regional and national peers.
Yesterday, the US Census released tons of new demographic data for 2018. The next few posts will detail some of that data and how Columbus compares to Midwestern and national peers in terms of population, racial diversity and other metrics. These peers are based on either large Midwestern cities or metro areas between 1.5-2.5 million. This post will be a racial diversity comparison, specifically.
Total Non-Hispanic White Population by City by Year 2010———————————–2018 1. Chicago: 853,910————–1. Chicago: 899,980 2. Indianapolis: 482,195———2. Columbus: 486,431 3. Columbus: 470,971———–3. Austin: 470,620 4. Jacksonville, FL: 452,926—-4. Indianapolis: 465,466 5. Portland, OR: 417,876——–5. Portland: 457,042 6. Austin: 384,065—————6. Jacksonville: 455,487 7. Virginia Beach: 282,812——7. Omaha: 307,845 8. Las Vegas: 280,604———-8. Virginia Beach: 275,371 9. Omaha, NE: 277,606———9. Las Vegas: 272,870 10. San Jose, CA: 265,311——10. Kansas City: 269,854 11. Kansas City, MO: 247,473–11. San Jose: 253,571 12. Wichita, KS: 245,146——-12. Minneapolis: 252,327 13. Minneapolis: 242,848——13. Wichita: 242,671 14. Milwaukee: 221,514——–14. Lincoln: 227,215 15. Lincoln, NE: 216,076——-15. Milwaukee: 204,250 16. Pittsburgh: 203,622——–16. Pittsburgh: 195,468 17. Fort Wayne, IN: 179,646—17. Madison: 186,034 18. Madison, WI: 178,307——18. Fort Wayne: 173,088 19. Toledo: 177,341————–19. St. Paul: 159,782 20. Sacramento, CA: 165,610–20. Sacramento: 158,333 21. St. Paul, MN: 159,704——-21. Toledo: 157,967 22. Des Moines, IA: 145,937—22. Cincinnati: 150,693 23. Cincinnati: 143,120———23. Des Moines: 137,268 24. Cleveland: 137,977———24. St. Louis: 133,688 25. St. Louis: 134,146———–25. Cleveland: 131,010 26. Grand Rapids, MI: 104,636–26. Grand Rapids: 115,719 27. Providence, RI: 64,284——27. Detroit: 72,982 28. Detroit: 55,298————–28. Providence: 58,856
Previous peers, such as San Antonio, Charlotte and Orlando were removed as their metros are now larger than the 2.5 million comparison limit. Jacksonville, Florida entered the comparison with a metro population of just over 1.5 million in 2018. Smaller Ohio cities like Dayton, Akron, Canton and Youngstown, which are normally compared, did not have this data available.
Total Non-Hispanic White Change 2010-2018 1. Austin: +86,555 2. Chicago: +46,070 3. Portland: +39,166 4. Omaha: +30,239 5. Kansas City: +22,381 6. Detroit: +17,684 7. Columbus: +15,460 8. Lincoln: +11,139 9. Grand Rapids: +11,083 10. Minneapolis: +9,479 11. Madison: +7,727 12. Cincinnati: +7,573 13. Jacksonville: +2,561 14. St. Paul: +28 15. St. Louis: -458 16. Wichita: -2,475 17. Providence: -5,428 18. Fort Wayne: -6,558 19. Cleveland: -6,967 20. Sacramento: -7,277 21. Virginia Beach: -7,441 22. Las Vegas: -7,734 23. Pittsburgh: -8,154 24. Des Moines: -8,669 25. San Jose: -11,740 26. Indianapolis: -16,729 27. Milwaukee: -17,264 28. Toledo: -19,374
Non-Hispanic White % of Total Population by City in 2018 1. Lincoln: 79.1% 2. Madison: 72.1% 3. Portland: 70.0% 4. Omaha: 65.7% 5. Fort Wayne: 65.5% 6. Pittsburgh: 64.9% 7. Des Moines: 63.3% 8. Wichita: 62.3% 9. Virginia Beach: 61.2% 10. Minneapolis: 59.3% 11. Grand Rapids: 57.8% 12. Toledo: 57.5% 13. Kansas City: 54.9% 14. Columbus: 54.3% 15. Indianapolis: 53.9% 16. St. Paul: 51.9% 17. Jacksonville: 50.4% 18. Cincinnati: 49.8% 19. Austin: 48.8% 20. St. Louis: 44.2% 21. Las Vegas: 42.3% 22. Milwaukee: 34.5% 23. Cleveland: 34.1% 24. Chicago: 33.3% 25. Providence: 32.8% 26. Sacramento: 31.1% 27. San Jose: 24.6% 28. Detroit: 10.9%
Total Non-Hispanic Black Population by City by Year 2010————————————2018 1. Chicago: 895,294————1. Chicago: 784,266 2. Detroit: 587,707————–2. Detroit: 520,161 3. Jacksonville: 249,532——-3. Jacksonville: 274,290 4. Milwaukee: 230,473——–4. Columbus: 259,803 5. Indianapolis: 226,314——-5. Indianapolis: 251,958 6. Columbus: 216,486———6. Milwaukee: 222,619 7. Cleveland: 208,528———7. Cleveland: 178,909 8. St. Louis: 157,382———–8. Kansas City: 137,867 9. Kansas City: 138,461——-9. St. Louis: 137,087 10. Cincinnati: 131,909——-10. Cincinnati: 122,261 11. Virginia Beach: 79,583—11. Virginia Beach: 84,333 12. Toledo: 75,033————12. Minneapolis: 81,930 13. Pittsburgh: 71,539——-13. Austin: 78,354 14. Minneapolis: 63,749—–14. Toledo: 74,630 15. Sacramento: 61,976—–15. Pittsburgh: 68,637 16. Austin: 61,833————16. Las Vegas: 68,488 17. Las Vegas: 60,187——–17. Sacramento: 64,824 18. Omaha: 55,086———–18. Omaha: 56,503 19. Wichita: 42,662———-19. St. Paul: 44,572 20. St. Paul: 41,923———-20. Wichita: 42,874 21. Grand Rapids: 41,848—21. Fort Wayne: 40,640 22. Fort Wayne: 39,016—–22. Portland: 39,882 23. Portland: 37,355——–23. Grand Rapids: 35,264 24. San Jose: 29,831——–24. San Jose: 29,432 25. Des Moines: 19,962—-25. Providence: 26,594 26. Providence: 19,265—–26. Des Moines: 24,018 27. Madison: 17,560——–27. Madison: 20,276 28. Lincoln: 9,023———-28. Lincoln: 12,203
Total Non-Hispanic Black Change 2010-2018 1. Columbus: +43,317 2. Indianapolis: +25,644 3. Jacksonville: +24,758 4. Minneapolis: +18,181 5. Austin: +16,521 6. Las Vegas: +8,301 7. Providence: +7,329 8. Virginia Beach: +4,750 9. Des Moines: +4,056 10. Lincoln: +3,180 11. Sacramento: +2,848 12. Madison: +2,716 13. St. Paul: +2,649 14. Portland: +2,527 15. Fort Wayne: +1,624 16. Omaha: +1,417 17. Wichita: +212 18. San Jose: -399 19. Toledo: -403 20. Kansas City: -594 21. Pittsburgh: -2,902 22. Grand Rapids: -6,584 23. Milwaukee: -7,854 24. Cincinnati: -9,648 25. St. Louis: -20,295 26. Cleveland: -29,619 27. Detroit: -67,546 28. Chicago: -111,028
Non-Hispanic Black % of Total Population by City in 2018 1. Detroit: 77.3% 2. Cleveland: 46.6% 3. St. Louis: 45.3% 4. Cincinnati: 40.4% 5. Milwaukee: 37.7% 6. Jacksonville: 30.4% 7. Indianapolis: 29.2% 8. Columbus: 29.0% 9. Chicago: 29.0% 10. Kansas City: 28.0% 11. Toledo: 27.1% 12. Pittsburgh: 22.8% 13. Minneapolis: 19.3% 14. Virginia Beach: 18.7% 15. Grand Rapids: 17.6% 16. Fort Wayne: 15.4% 17. Providence: 14.8% 18. St. Paul: 14.5% 19. Sacramento: 12.8% 20. Omaha: 12.1% 21. Des Moines: 11.1% 22. Wichita: 11.0% 23. Las Vegas: 10.6% 24. Austin: 8.1% 25. Madison: 7.9% 26. Portland: 6.1% 27. Lincoln: 4.3% 28. San Jose: 2.9%
Total Non-Hispanic Asian Population by City by Year 2010——————————-2018 1. San Jose: 303,227————1. San Jose: 367,280 2. Chicago: 148,280————2. Chicago: 179,841 3. Sacramento: 84,556——–3. Sacramento: 97,192 4. Austin: 46,575—————4. Austin: 73,185 5. Portland: 43,185————5. St. Paul: 59,395 6. St. Paul: 41,989————–6. Portland: 57,526 7. Las Vegas: 37,406———-7. Columbus: 54,902 8. Columbus: 35,468———-8. Las Vegas: 46,422 9. Jacksonville: 33,663——–9. Jacksonville: 42,639 10. Virginia Beach: 27,303—10. Virginia Beach: 31,875 11. Milwaukee: 22,670——–11. Indianapolis: 31,777 12. Minneapolis: 21,426——12. Minneapolis: 26,768 13. Wichita: 19,420———-13. Milwaukee: 25,17 14. Indianapolis: 17,137——14. Madison: 23,594 15. Madison: 16,671———-15. Wichita: 17,410 16. Pittsburgh: 12,036——-16. Omaha: 17,185 17. Providence: 11,497——-17. Pittsburgh: 16,724 18. Lincoln: 10,452———–18. Des Moines: 15,057 19. Kansas City: 10,263—–19. Fort Wayne: 13,661 20. Des Moines: 8,867——20. Providence: 12,556 21. St. Louis: 8,717———–21. Lincoln: 12,494 22. Omaha: 8,397———–22. Kansas City: 12,130 23. Fort Wayne: 6,945—–23. St. Louis: 10,662 24. Detroit: 6,549———-24. Detroit: 10,597 25. Cincinnati: 5,938——25. Cleveland: 10,595 26. Cleveland: 5,392——26. Cincinnati: 6,999 27. Grand Rapids: 3,695–27. Grand Rapids: 4,431 28. Toledo: 3,125———-28. Toledo: 2,802
Total Non-Hispanic Asian Change 2010-2018 1. San Jose: +64,053 2. Chicago: +31,561 3. Austin: +26,610 4. Columbus: +19,434 5. St. Paul: +17,406 6. Indianapolis: +14,640 7. Portland: +14,341 8. Sacramento: +12,636 9. Las Vegas: +9,016 10. Jacksonville: +8,976 11. Omaha: +8,788 12. Madison: +6,923 13. Fort Wayne: +6,716 14. Des Moines: +6,190 15. Minneapolis: +5,342 16. Cleveland: +5,203 17. Pittsburgh: +4,688 18. Virginia Beach: +4,572 19. Detroit: +4,048 20. Milwaukee: +2,501 21. Lincoln: +2,042 22. St. Louis: +1,945 23. Kansas City: +1,867 24. Cincinnati: +1,061 25. Providence: +1,059 26. Grand Rapids: +736 27. Toledo: -323 28. Wichita: -2,010
Non-Hispanic Asian % of Total Population by City in 2018 1. San Jose: 35.7% 2. St. Paul: 19.3% 3. Sacramento: 19.1% 4. Madison: 9.1% 5. Portland: 8.8% 6. Austin: 7.6% 7. Las Vegas: 7.2% 8. Virginia Beach: 7.1% 9. Providence: 7.0% 10. Des Moines: 6.9% 11. Chicago: 6.7% 12. Minneapolis: 6.3% 13. Columbus: 6.1% 14. Pittsburgh: 5.6% 15. Fort Wayne: 5.2% 16. Jacksonville: 4.7% 17. Wichita: 4.5% 18. Lincoln: 4.4% 19. Milwaukee: 4.3% 20. Indianapolis: 3.7% 21. Omaha: 3.7% 22. St. Louis: 3.5% 23. Cleveland: 2.8% 24. Kansas City: 2.5% 25. Cincinnati: 2.3% 26. Grand Rapids: 2.2% 27. Detroit: 1.6% 28. Toledo: 1.0%
Total Hispanic Population by City By Year 2010———————————2018 1. Chicago: 763,968————-1. Chicago: 776,661 2. San Jose: 318,389————2. San Jose: 333,819 3. Austin: 288,130—————3. Austin: 314,949 4. Las Vegas: 181,923———–4. Las Vegas: 222,860 5. Sacramento: 124,461———5. Sacramento: 148,343 6. Milwaukee: 104,619———-6. Milwaukee: 119,876 7. Indianapolis: 78,467———-7. Jacksonville: 94,158 8. Providence: 76,645———-8. Indianapolis: 88,022 9. Jacksonville: 64,081———-9. Providence: 75,177 10. Wichita: 59,823————-10. Wichita: 70,564 11. Portland: 58,986————11. Omaha: 68,747 12. Omaha: 53,661————–12. Portland: 60,760 13. Kansas City: 49,800——–13. Columbus: 53,935 14. Detroit : 45,580————-14. Detroit: 52,718 15. Columbus: 43,276———-15. Kansas City: 52,638 16. Cleveland: 36,067———-16. Cleveland: 47,144 17. Minneapolis: 34,504——-17. Minneapolis: 40,912 18. Grand Rapids: 30,659—–18. Virginia Beach: 37,365 19. Virginia Beach: 29,206—-19. Grand Rapids: 36,469 20. St. Paul: 28,725————20. Des Moines: 31,706 21. Des Moines: 23,832——-21. St. Paul: 26,081 22. Toledo: 21,346————-22. Toledo: 24,625 23. Fort Wayne: 19,576——-23. Fort Wayne: 24,623 24. Lincoln: 16,007————24. Lincoln: 22,339 25. Madison: 14,062———-25. Madison: 18,867 26. St. Louis: 11,207———–26. St. Louis: 12,509 27. Cincinnati: 8,710———-27. Cincinnati: 10,773 28. Pittsburgh: 7,282———28. Pittsburgh: 10,180
Total Hispanic Population Change 2010-2018 1. Las Vegas: +40,937 2. Jacksonville: +30,077 3. Austin: +26,819 4. Sacramento: +23,882 5. San Jose: +15,430 6. Milwaukee: +15,257 7. Omaha: +15,086 8. Chicago: +12,693 9. Cleveland: +11,077 10. Wichita: +10,741 11. Columbus: +10,659 12. Indianapolis: +9,555 13. Virginia Beach: +8,159 14. Des Moines: +7,874 15. Detroit: +7,138 16. Minneapolis: +6,408 17. Lincoln: +6,332 18. Grand Rapids: +5,810 19. Fort Wayne: +5,047 20. Madison: +4,805 21. Toledo: +3,279 22. Pittsburgh: +2,898 23. Kansas City: +2,838 24. Cincinnati: +2,063 25. Portland: +1,774 26. St. Louis: +1,302 27. Providence: -1,468 28. St. Paul: -2,644
Hispanic % of Total Population by City in 2018 1. Providence: 41.9% 2. Las Vegas: 34.6% 3. Austin: 32.7% 4. San Jose: 32.4% 5. Sacramento: 29.2% 6. Chicago: 28.7% 7. Milwaukee: 20.3% 8. Grand Rapids: 18.2% 9. Wichita: 18.1% 10. Omaha: 14.7% 11. Des Moines: 14.6% 12. Cleveland: 12.3% 13. Kansas City: 10.7% 14. Jacksonville: 10.4% 15. Indianapolis: 10.2% 16. Minneapolis: 9.6% 17. Portland: 9.3% 18. Fort Wayne: 9.3% 19. Toledo: 9.0% 20. St. Paul: 8.5% 21. Virginia Beach: 8.3% 22. Detroit: 7.8% 23. Lincoln: 7.8% 24. Madison: 7.3% 25. Columbus: 6.0% 26. St. Louis: 4.1% 27. Cincinnati: 3.6% 28. Pittsburgh: 3.4%
Total Non-Hispanic Other Population by City by Year 2010——————————–2018 1. Chicago: 37,379————–1. Chicago: 65,240 2. San Jose: 32,439————-2. San Jose: 46,017 3. Sacramento: 30,900——–3. Columbus: 40,806 4. Portland: 28,027————-4. Sacramento: 39,825 5. Las Vegas: 24,521———–5. Portland: 37,363 6. Columbus: 23,738———–6. Jacksonville: 37,322 7. Jacksonville: 23,114———-7. Las Vegas: 34,024 8. Minneapolis: 20,753———8. Austin: 27,135 9. Virginia Beach: 20,268——9. Indianapolis: 26,908 10. Indianapolis: 20,086——10. Minneapolis: 23,458 11. Detroit: 16,776————-11. Virginia Beach: 21,245 12. Milwaukee: 16,311——– 12. Kansas City: 19,320 13. Wichita: 16,091————13. Milwaukee: 19,286 14. Omaha: 15,519————14. Omaha: 17,987 15. Austin: 14,915————-15. St. Paul: 17,871 16. Kansas City: 14,668——16. Detroit: 16,223 17. St. Paul: 13,098———–17. Cleveland: 16,123 18. Pittsburgh: 11,280——-18. Wichita: 15,740 19. Toledo: 10,134————19. Toledo: 14,949 20. Fort Wayne: 8,513——-20. Lincoln: 13,148 21. Cleveland: 8,276———21. Fort Wayne: 12,158 22. St. Louis: 7,704———-22. Cincinnati: 11,889 23. Lincoln: 7,483———–23. Pittsburgh: 10,029 24. Grand Rapids: 7,376—24. Madison: 9,263 25. Cincinnati: 7,230——-25. Des Moines: 8,944 26. Madison: 7,177———26. St. Louis: 8,892 27. Providence: 6,471——27: Grand Rapids: 8,347 28. Des Moines: 5,598—–28. Providence: 6,152
Total Non-Hispanic Other Population Change 2010-2018 1. Chicago: +27,861 2. Columbus; +17,068 3. Jacksonville: +14,208 4. San Jose: +13,578 5. Austin: +12,220 6. Las Vegas: +9,503 7. Portland: +9,336 8. Sacramento: +8,925 9. Cleveland: +7.847 10. Indianapolis: +6,822 11. Lincoln: +5,665 12. Toledo: +4,815 13. St. Paul: +4,773 14. Cincinnati: +4,659 15. Kansas City: +4,652 16. Fort Wayne: +3,645 17. Des Moines: +3,346 18. Milwaukee: +2,975 19. Minneapolis: +2,705 20. Omaha: +2,468 21. Madison: +2,086 22. St. Louis: 1,188 23. Virginia Beach: +977 24. Grand Rapids: +971 25. Providence: -319 26. Wichita: -351 27. Detroit: -553 28. Pittsburgh: -1251
Non-Hispanic Other % of Total Population by City in 2018 1. Sacramento: 7.8% 2. St. Paul: 5.8% 3. Portland: 5.7% 4. Minneapolis: 5.5% 5. Toledo: 5.4% 6. Las Vegas: 5.3% 7. Virginia Beach: 4.7% 8. Fort Wayne: 4.6% 9. Lincoln: 4.6% 10. Columbus: 4.6% 11. San Jose: 4.5% 12. Cleveland: 4.2% 13. Grand Rapids: 4.2% 14. Jacksonville: 4.1% 15. Des Moines: 4.1% 16. Wichita: 4.0% 17. Cincinnati: 3.9% 18. Kansas City: 3.9% 19. Omaha: 3.8% 20. Madison: 3.6% 21. Providence: 3.4% 22. Pittsburgh: 3.3% 23. Milwaukee: 3.3% 24. Indianapolis: 3.1% 25. St. Louis: 2.9% 26. Austin: 2.8% 27. Chicago: 2.4% 28. Detroit: 2.4%
Now that we can see all the numbers, what is the 2018 ranking of most to least racially diverse? To find out, I assigned points by the ranking of % of population, so #1 of a particular ranking would get 1 point, the next 2 points and so on. The cities with the fewest points are the most diverse. Here are the rankings for both 2010 and 2018.
Most to Least Diverse by Year and Total Points 2010——————————–2018 1. Portland: 50—————–1. Portland: 54 2. Sacramento: 52————2. Sacramento: 54 3. St. Paul: 53—————–3. Minneapolis: 55 4. Minneapolis: 54———–4. St. Paul: 58 5. Virginia Beach: 55——–5. Las Vegas: 59 6. Wichita: 57—————-6. Virginia Beach: 59 7. Las Vegas: 60————-7. Fort Wayne: 62 8. Providence: 61————8. Des Moines: 64 9. Omaha: 66—————-9. Jacksonville: 67 10. Grand Rapids: 69——-10. Columbus: 70 11. Des Moines: 71———-11. San Jose: 71 12. Madison: 72————-12. Cleveland: 72 13. San Jose: 72————-13. Wichita: 72 14. Fort Wayne: 73———14. Grand Rapids: 73 15. Kansas City: 73———15. Providence: 73 16. Milwaukee: 73———-16. Omaha: 74 17. Pittsburgh: 74———-17. Madison: 75 18. Jacksonville: 75——–18. Toledo: 75 19. Chicago: 76————-19. Milwaukee: 76 20. Columbus: 77———-20. Chicago: 77 21. Austin: 80—————21. Austin: 78 22. Indianapolis: 81——–22. Kansas City: 78 23. Toledo: 81————–23. Lincoln: 78 24. Lincoln: 85————-24. Indianapolis: 81 25. St. Louis: 94———–25. Pittsburgh: 82 26. Cleveland: 95———-26. Cincinnati: 91 27. Cincinnati: 97———-27. St. Louis: 96 28. Detroit: 104————28. Detroit: 106
Columbus had one of the fastest improvements of its diversity, moving up 10 spots from 20th to 10th.
Millennials- those born roughly between 1981 and 2001- are big news these days. They are the largest generation ever in terms of total numbers (exceeding 76 million), and their choices are already having big impacts on everything from housing to the economy. I wanted to look at Columbus and its peers to see where it ranks in terms of attracting these young professionals.
For the comparison, I looked at metro areas of 1.5-2.5 million as well as major Midwest metros and then used their core cities to get the numbers. I used the age group of 25-34 specifically, as that is usually the number most often cited in the news.
Rank of Total Population Aged 25-34 2005_______________________2010___________________2014 1. Chicago: 463,236_______1. Chicago: 510,042_______1. Chicago: 525,381 2. San Antonio: 180,981_____2. San Antonio: 200,645____2. San Antonio: 226,711 3. Austin: 137,523_________3. Austin: 162,247_________3. Austin: 199,838 4. San Jose, CA: 133,144___4. Columbus: 147,584______4. Columbus: 170,759 5. Columbus: 131,641______5. San Jose, CA: 142,551___5. San Jose, CA: 153,690 6. Indianapolis: 114,532_____6. Indianapolis: 133,088____6. Charlotte, NC: 141,869 7. Detroit: 110,759_________7. Charlotte, NC: 127,539___7. Indianapolis: 140,491 8. Charlotte, NC: 100,025____8. Portland, OR: 113,210___8. Portland, OR: 116,109 9. Portland, OR: 90,023_____9. Milwaukee: 97,359______9. Milwaukee: 100,205 10. Las Vegas: 84,418______10. Detroit: 85,023________10. Minneapolis: 90,662 11. Milwaukee: 82,060______11. Minneapolis: 81,532____11. Las Vegas: 90,441 12. Sacramento, CA: 75,497___12. Las Vegas: 81,212____12. Detroit: 89,843 13. Minneapolis: 74,208___13. Sacramento, CA: 78,527__13. Sacramento, CA: 84,013 14. Kansas City, MO: 68,060__14. Kansas City: 73,872__14. Kansas City, MO: 79,262 15. Virginia Beach: 60,749__15. Virginia Beach: 67,614__15. Virginia Beach: 75,543 16. Omaha, NE: 56,248____16. Omaha, NE: 62,396_____16. Omaha, NE: 71,040 17. Wichita, KS: 52,426____17. St. Louis: 57,627_______17. Pittsburgh: 62,473 18. Cleveland: 50,558_____18. Wichita, KS: 56,737_____18. St. Louis: 61,718 19. St. Louis: 48,137______19. Cleveland: 54,428______19. Wichita, KS: 58,334 20. Cincinnati: 44,945_____20. Pittsburgh: 51,109______20. Cleveland: 56,134 21. Toledo: 43,134_______21. St. Paul, MN: 50,107_____21. St. Paul, MN: 54,464 22. Orlando: 40,846______22. Cincinnati: 49,067_______22. Orlando: 54,395 23. St. Paul, MN: 39,676__23. Orlando: 48,102________23. Cincinnati: 54,247 24. Lincoln, NE: 38,893___24. Madison, WI: 44,662_____24. Madison, WI: 44,835 25. Madison, WI: 38,826___25. Lincoln, NE: 42,034_____25. Toledo: 43,661 26. Pittsburgh: 38,744____26. Toledo: 41,580_________26. Lincoln, NE: 40,071 27. Grand Rapids: 35,287__27. Fort Wayne, IN: 35,193__27: Grand Rapids: 38,922 28. Des Moines: 32,640__28. Providence, RI: 31,044__28. Fort Wayne, IN: 37,741 29. Fort Wayne, IN: 31,738__29. Grand Rapids: 30,963__29. Des Moines: 33,857 30. Akron: 30,436_______30. Des Moines: 30,376_____30. Providence, RI: 31,902 31. Providence, RI: 29,307__31. Akron: 27,446________31. Akron: 28,207 32. Dayton: 18,591_______32. Dayton: 20,278________32. Dayton: 21,096 33. Youngstown: 8,505____33. Youngstown: 8,484_____33. Youngstown: 8,468
So Columbus ranks highly among total population in the 25-34 age group. But what about growth?
Total Growth Rank in 25-34 Population 2005-2014 1. Austin, TX: 62,315 2. Chicago: 62,145 3. San Antonio, TX: 45,730 4. Charlotte, NC: 41,844 5. Columbus: 39,118 6. Portland, OR: 26,086 7. Indianapolis: 25,959 8. Pittsburgh: 23,729 9. San Jose, CA: 20,546 10. Milwaukee, WI: 18,145 11. Minneapolis, MN: 16,454 12. Virginia Beach, VA: 14,794 13. St. Paul, MN: 14,788 14. Omaha, NE: 14,612 15. St. Louis, MO: 13,581 16. Orlando, FL: 13,549 17. Kansas City, MO: 11,202 18. Cincinnati: 9,302 19. Sacramento, CA: 8,516 20. Las Vegas, NV: 6,023 21. Madison, WI: 6,009 22. Fort Wayne, IN: 6,003 23. Wichita, KS: 5,908 24. Cleveland: 5,576 25. Grand Rapids, MI: 3,635 26. Providence, RI: 2,595 27. Dayton: 2,505 28. Des Moines, IA: 1,217 29. Lincoln, NE: 1,178 30. Toledo: 527 31. Youngstown: -37 32. Akron: -2,229 33. Detroit: -20,736
Again, Columbus ranks near the top during this period. What about more recently, since 2010?
Total Growth Rank of 25-34 Population 2010-2014 1. Austin: 37,591 2. San Antonio: 26,066 3. Columbus: 23,175 4. Chicago: 15,339 5. Charlotte: 14,330 6. Pittsburgh: 11,364 7. San Jose: 11,139 8. Las Vegas: 9,229 9. Minneapolis: 9,130 10. Omaha: 8,644 11. Grand Rapids: 7,959 12. Virginia Beach: 7,929 13. Indianapolis: 7,403 14. Orlando: 6,293 15. Sacramento: 5,486 16. Kansas City: 5,390 17. Cincinnati: 5,180 18. Detroit: 4,820 19. St. Paul: 4,357 20. St. Louis: 4,091 21. Des Moines: 3,481 22. Portland: 2,899 23. Milwaukee: 2,846 24. Fort Wayne: 2,548 25. Toledo: 2,081 26. Cleveland: 1,706 27. Wichita: 1,597 28. Providence: 858 29. Dayton: 818 30. Akron: 761 31. Madison: 173 32. Youngstown: -16 33. Lincoln: -1,963
So Columbus is doing even better since 2010 than it did in the earlier period and attracts significantly more Millennials in the 25-34 age group than cities often cited for this very metric.
Next, let’s look at percentage growth, as city size can affect this.
Total Percent Growth 2005-2014 in 25-34 Population 1. Pittsburgh: +61.25% 2. Austin: +45.31% 3. Charlotte: +41.83% 4. St. Paul: +37.27% 5. Orlando: +33.17% 6. Columbus: +29.72% 7. Portland: +28.98% 8. St. Louis: +28.21% 9. Omaha: +25.89% 10. San Antonio: +25.27% 11. Virginia Beach: +24.35% 12. Indianapolis: +22.67% 13. Minneapolis: +22.17% 14. Milwaukee: +22.11% 15. Cincinnati: +20.70% 16. Fort Wayne: +18.91% 17. Kansas City: +16.46% 18. Madison: +15.48% 19. San Jose: +15.43% 20. Dayton: +13.47% 21. Chicago: +13.42% 22. Sacramento: +11.28% 23. Wichita: +11.27% 24. Cleveland: +11.03% 25. Grand Rapids: +10.30% 26. Providence: +8.85% 27. Las Vegas: +7.13% 28. Des Moines: +3.73% 29. Lincoln: +3.03% 30. Toledo: +1.22% 31. Youngstown: -0.44% 32. Akron: -7.32% 33. Detroit: -18.75%
So Columbus again performs well in percentage growth, despite having one of the largest populations in the age group. It performs even better in the period since 2010, coming in at 3rd place.
Finally, now that we know the totals and the growth, what is the % of total city population that the 25-34 age group makes up?
25-34 % of Total City Population 2014 1. Minneapolis: 22.27% 2. Austin: 21.89% 3. Orlando: 20.73% 4. Pittsburgh: 20.45% 5. Columbus: 20.42% 6. Grand Rapids: 20.08% 7. St. Louis: 19.44% 8. Chicago: 19.30% 9. Portland: 18.74% 10. St. Paul: 18.30% 11. Madison: 18.25% 12. Cincinnati: 18.19% 13. Providence: 17.81% 14. Charlotte: 17.52% 15. Sacramento: 17.32% 16. Kansas City: 16.84% 17. Virginia Beach: 16.75% 18. Milwaukee: 16.71% 19. Indianapolis: 16.50% 20. Des Moines: 16.19% 21. Omaha: 15.91% 22. San Antonio: 15.78% 23. Toledo: 15.54% 24. San Jose: 15.13% 25. Wichita: 15.02% 26. Dayton: 14.96% 27. Fort Wayne: 14.74% 28. Las Vegas: 14.74% 29. Lincoln: 14.68% 30. Cleveland: 14.41% 31. Akron: 14.26% 32. Detroit: 13.21% 33. Youngstown: 13.02%
And here’s a simple % of population projection for just 4 years from now, 2018, provided the 25-34 population grows the same between 2014-2018 as it did 2010-2014. 1. Pittsburgh: 24.18% 2. Grand Rapids: 23.71% 3. Austin: 23.38% 4. Minneapolis: 23.27% 5. Columbus: 22.16% 6. Orlando: 21.34% 7. St. Louis: 20.82% 8. Cincinnati: 19.85% 9. Chicago: 19.70% 10. St. Paul: 19.05% 11. Providence: 18.20% 12. Portland: 18.14% 13. Virginia Beach: 18.1% 14. Sacramento: 17.84% 15. Charlotte: 17.67% 16. Kansas City: 17.64% 17. Des Moines: 17.50% 18. Madison: 17.40% 19. Milwaukee: 17.07% 20. Indianapolis: 16.85% 21. Omaha: 16.61% 22. Toledo: 16.59% 23. San Antonio: 16.52% 24. Fort Wayne: 15.61% 25. Las Vegas: 15.59% 26. Dayton: 15.27% 27. San Jose: 15.24% 28. Wichita: 15.23% 29. Cleveland: 15.08% 30. Akron: 14.73% 31. Detroit: 14.48% 32. Youngstown: 13.35% 33. Lincoln: 13.13%
Columbus has an existing large population of the 25-34 age demographic, and looks to be one of the strongest performers into the near future. Some would ask why that would be considering that Columbus transit is woefully lacking and has a reputation (very undeservedly, in my opinion) of being suburban- characteristics that Millennials supposedly almost universally reject. Perhaps the bottom line is that economics trump all other desires. Cost of living and employment tend to be higher up the list than rail lines, and Columbus has both a strong economy and relatively low COL. Whatever the case may be, Columbus seems to be doing something right. Continue this look at this population in Part 2.
I’ve compared Columbus to peer cities nationally in terms of density and population, but I’ve never compared Columbus to the Midwest as a whole historically for those categories. For the following historic Midwest population and density ranking, I used the top 15 largest Midwest cities as of 2012 as determined by the US Census.
Red indicates a fallen ranking while blue indicates a rise. Black is no change.
Historic Population Rankings 1840 1. Cincinnati: 46,338 2. St. Louis: 16,469 3. Detroit: 9,102 4. Cleveland: 6,071 5. Columbus: 6,048 6. Chicago: 4,470 7. Indianapolis: 2,695 8. Milwaukee: 1,700 9. Toledo: 1,222 10. Kansas City: Not incorporated. 11. Lincoln: Not incorporated. 12. Minneapolis: Not incorporated. 13. Omaha: Not incorporated. 14. St. Paul: Not incorporated. 15. Wichita: Not incorporated.
1850 1. Cincinnati: 115,435 2. St. Louis: 77,860 3. Chicago: 29,963 4. Detroit: 21,019 5. Milwaukee: 20,061 6. Columbus: 17,882 7. Cleveland: 17,034 8. Indianapolis: 8,091 9. Toledo: 3,829 10. St. Paul: 1,112 11. Kansas City: Not incorporated. 12. Lincoln: Not incorporated. 13. Minneapolis: Not incorporated. 14. Omaha: Not incorporated. 15. Wichita: Not incorporated.
Columbus seems poised to take the #2 spot from Indianapolis around or just after 2020. Also, 11 of 15 would’ve seen growth 2010-2020. Cleveland, Toledo, St. Louis and Detroit would be the only cities that still lost.
