COLUMBUS — While many of the nation’s largest cities saw their populations shrink in the first year of the pandemic, Columbus was not one of them.
New estimates released Thursday by the US Census Bureau show Columbus only added 668 residents from 2020 to 2021, it was still among the fastest growing cities with populations of at least 50,000 with 905,000 as of July 1, 2021.
Columbus wasn’t the only city in central Ohio to see notable growth. Newark joined the list of cities with a population of 50,000 or more, with a population of 50,383.
Eight of the 10 largest cities in the United States lost population, with only Phoenix and San Antonio gaining new residents from 2020 to 2021.
Top US cities by population
1. New York, NY (8.5 million)
2. Los Angeles (4 million)
3. Chicago (2.7 million)
4. Houston (2.3 million)
5. Phoenix (1.6 million)
6. Philadelphia (1.6 million)
7. San Antonio (1.5 million)
8. San Diego (1.4 million)
9. Dallas (1.3 million)
10. San Jose, California (1.0 million)
14. COLUMBUS (905,000)
Source: United States Census Bureau, Wikipedia
New York led the way, losing more than 305,000 people, or about 3.5% of its population in 2020. Among the 10 largest cities in the country, it was followed by Chicago and Los Angeles.
The small big towns, mainly in the Sunbelt, gained new inhabitants. Along with Columbus, these cities include Austin and Fort Worth in Texas; Jacksonville, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina