In the first year of the pandemic, only about 27 million Americans moved to a new home. This figure represents a decrease of 9% compared to the previous year and continues a multi-year trend of lower mobility rates.
The prevailing narrative is that many of those who moved during the pandemic did so to leave major cities, in part to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19. According to the latest population data from the US Census Bureau, some of the nation’s largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, reported population declines last year – counting both net migration as well as births and deaths.
However, not all cities suffered from population decline in the first year of the pandemic. Many major metropolitan areas have seen substantial population growth in 2020 and 2021.
In the Coeur d’Alene metropolitan area, the population grew from 172,646 in July 2020 to 179,789 in July 2021. The 4.1% increase ranks second among all U.S. metropolitan areas.
Local population growth was driven by net migration, as approximately 7,280 more people moved into the metropolitan area than left in the past year. Natural change, meanwhile, hurt overall growth, as 30 more people died in the metro area than people born in the same period.
| Rank | subway station | Popular. increase, July 2020 – July 2021 (%) | Population 2021 | Net migration, 1 year. | Natural pop. change, 1 year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George, UT | 5.1 | 191 226 | 9,204 | 237 |
| 2 | Coeur d’Alene, ID | 4.1 | 179,789 | 7,283 | -33 |
| 3 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | 3.7 | 509 794 | 21,921 | -3,421 |
| 4 | Punta Gorda, Florida | 3.7 | 194,843 | 9,526 | -2,498 |
| 5 | The Villages, Florida | 3.6 | 135,638 | 7,105 | -2,253 |
| 6 | Boise City, ID | 3.3 | 795 268 | 24,261 | 1,697 |
| 7 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida | 3.3 | 753,520 | 25,517 | -876 |
| 8 | Provo-Orem, UT | 3.3 | 697 141 | 13,912 | 8,332 |
| 9 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida | 3.0 | 787 976 | 26,813 | -3,184 |
| ten | Logan, UT-ID | 2.9 | 152,083 | 2,846 | 1,458 |
| 11 | Idaho Falls, ID | 2.9 | 162,786 | 3,644 | 921 |
| 12 | Port St. Lucie, Florida | 2.8 | 503 521 | 16,645 | -2,698 |
| 13 | Fold, OR | 2.7 | 204 801 | 5,638 | -124 |
| 14 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida | 2.7 | 859 760 | 29,691 | -6,643 |
| 15 | Panama City, Florida | 2.7 | 179 168 | 5,105 | -330 |
| 16 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 2.6 | 239 294 | 6,843 | -607 |
| 17 | Greeley, CO | 2.6 | 340,036 | 6,730 | 1,993 |
| 18 | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC | 2.4 | 222,072 | 5,757 | -394 |
| 19 | Sherman Denison, TX | 2.4 | 139,336 | 3,669 | -306 |
| 20 | Homosassa Springs, Florida | 2.4 | 158,083 | 5,977 | -2,204 |
| 21 | Naples-Marco Island, Florida | 2.4 | 385,980 | 10,724 | -1,725 |
| 22 | Salisbury, MD-DE | 2.3 | 429 223 | 11,748 | -1,803 |
| 23 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 2.3 | 2,352,426 | 42,541 | 11,145 |
| 24 | Ocala, Florida | 2.3 | 385 915 | 11,440 | -2,750 |
| 25 | Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 2.2 | 242 253 | 7,268 | -1,989 |
| 26 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida | 2.2 | 685 344 | 19,414 | -4,701 |
| 27 | Twin Falls, ID | 2.1 | 116,905 | 2,146 | 268 |
| 28 | Clarksville, TN-KY | 2.1 | 328 304 | 4,596 | 2,150 |
| 29 | Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida | 2.1 | 163,662 | 4,695 | -1,326 |
| 30 | Sebring-Avon Park, Florida | 2.0 | 103,296 | 3,213 | -1,096 |
| 31 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 2.0 | 560 709 | 9,123 | 2,038 |
| 32 | Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina | 2.0 | 1,448,411 | 23,279 | 4,943 |
| 33 | Spartanburg, South Carolina | 2.0 | 335,864 | 6,632 | -79 |
| 34 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida | 2.0 | 293 324 | 5,441 | 260 |
| 35 | Killeen Temple, TX | 2.0 | 486 101 | 6,112 | 3,182 |
| 36 | Rapid City, SD | 1.9 | 141,979 | 2,469 | 196 |
| 37 | Gainesville, Georgia | 1.9 | 207,369 | 3,304 | 481 |
| 38 | Wilmington, North Carolina | 1.8 | 291,833 | 5,873 | -621 |
| 39 | Madeira, California | 1.8 | 159,410 | 2,033 | 767 |
| 40 | Huntsville, AL | 1.8 | 502 728 | 8,832 | -70 |
| 41 | Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 1.7 | 217,692 | 6,045 | -2,350 |
| 42 | Merced, California | 1.7 | 286,461 | 3,220 | 1,513 |
| 43 | Hinesville, Georgia | 1.7 | 82,863 | 237 | 1,126 |
| 44 | Jacksonville, Florida | 1.6 | 1,637,666 | 25,857 | 621 |
| 45 | Sioux Falls, SD | 1.6 | 281,958 | 3,174 | 1,310 |
| 46 | Winchester, VA-WV | 1.6 | 145 155 | 2,476 | -147 |
| 47 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1.6 | 4,946,145 | 70,097 | 8,142 |
| 48 | Warner Robins, Georgia | 1.5 | 195 246 | 2,617 | 357 |
| 49 | Town of Barnstable, MA | 1.5 | 232 411 | 5,448 | -1,941 |
| 50 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | 1.5 | 177 218 | 2,277 | 330 |