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The Daily Insight

Is Pittsburgh a dying city?

Author

James Olson

Updated on February 27, 2026

Pittsburgh (-0.1 percent) Pittsburgh may be a rare success story among Rust Belt towns, but the former Steel City isn't immune from population loss -- even as it has transformed from a one-time industrial titan into a city buoyed by technology and health care.

In this regard, is Pittsburgh still losing population?

“The city is still declining, a little slower, but there's been massive changes within the composition and characteristics of the city's population.†Pittsburgh in 2020 had 302,971 people, a 0.89% drop from its 2010 population, according to data released Thursday.

Also, is Pittsburgh a growing city? Between 2000 and 2010, the city shrunk by 8.5%. But between 2010 to 2020, the city only shrunk by less than 1%. But outside the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County saw some relatively large increases and grew 3.3% from 2010 to 2020. A lot of the growth was concentrated in Pittsburgh's North Hills.

Regarding this, what US city has shrunk the most?

In the last decade, the fastest shrinking city out of the country's 384 metropolitan areas was Pine Bluff, Ark., southeast of Little Rock, where the population dropped by 12.5 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to The New York Times. The population is now 87,751, down from 100,258, Business Insider reports.

Why is the population of Pittsburgh declining?

It's likely that the decline in Pittsburgh's Black population over the past decade is due to residents moving to other municipalities outside of the city in Allegheny County, a top regional economist at the University of Pittsburgh said Monday.

Related Question Answers

Is Pittsburgh a white city?

The report called "The New Metro Minority Map," by demographer William Frey, found that the 87 percent white population of greater Pittsburgh -- Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties -- is exceeded only by Scranton's 89 percent.

How safe is Pittsburgh PA?

The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Pittsburgh is 1 in 28. Based on FBI crime data, Pittsburgh is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh has a crime rate that is higher than 97% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

What is the racial makeup of Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh Demographics

White: 66.80% Black or African American: 23.03% Asian: 5.82% Two or more races: 3.51%

Is Pittsburgh a good place to live?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is among the top cities with a free business environment. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in healthcare, environmental quality and internet access.

What is Pittsburgh main industry?

Within Pittsburgh's top five leading industries - advanced manufacturing, healthcare, energy, financial and business services, and information technology – some of its leading companies include, Alcoa, Inc., Kraft Heinz Co, and Highmark Health.

What is Pittsburgh known for?

Pittsburgh is known both as "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and as the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers.

Is Detroit still in decline?

Detroit's Mass Exodus Persists

Every decade since the city has experienced persistent population declines. Since 2010, however, the city's population has declined at a slower rate than the long term trend, but still the 2020 U.S. decennial census shows the city lost 10.5 percent of its residents.

Is Dayton Ohio a dying city?

Dayton, Ohio's population has declined from its peak by 46.1%. In 2011, the Dayton Business Journal cited the relocation of Mead Paper factory and the closing of General Motors as a contributing factor to the city's decline in population.

What city is losing the most population?

New York City led all others with a loss of 89,000 people in 2019-2020. While out-migration to other places accounted for a good part of recent population losses in these areas, lower immigration from abroad as well as fewer births and more deaths during the pandemic year also contributed.

Is Los Angeles a dying city?

Overall, Los Angeles lost nearly 52,000 people, the third straight year of decline that has put its population at just over 3.9 million. Population estimates released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau showed paltry growth in California. But those numbers showed California's population as of April 2020.

Is New York population declining?

New York City has grown by more than 629,000 people — or nearly 8 percent — since 2010, reaching 8.8 million and defying predictions that its population was on the decline.

Is Cleveland a dying city?

In 2019, more than 114,000 people lived in poverty in Cleveland, including 37,700 children and nearly 12,000 older adults. Cleveland remained dead last among large cities in child poverty, with 46.1 percent of children in the city living in poverty in 2019.

What US cities are growing the fastest?

Ranked: The Fastest Growing Cities in the U.S.
Rank City State
1 The Woodlands Texas
2 Temecula-Murrieta California
3 Concord North Carolina
4 Visalia California

Which country is losing the most population?

Currently, Syria leads the ranking of countries with the highest population decline rate far ahead of all other ranked nations.

Is Rochester NY A dying city?

Rochester, New York (-0.4 percent)

A onetime industrial powerhouse, Rochester has suffered a long-term population decline, not unlike other Rust Belt cities. It fell out of the top 100 largest American cities by population in 2014. Last year, Rochester's metropolitan area declined 0.4 percent to 1.08 million residents.

Who is the largest employer in Pittsburgh?

Ranked by Local employment
Rank Business name (Prior rank) Website
1 UPMC 600 Grant St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-647-2345 upmc.com
2 Highmark Health 120 Fifth Ave. 120 5th Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-544-1000 highmarkhealth.org
3 U.S. Government 1000 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 800-688-9889 opm.gov

What is middle class in Pittsburgh?

The ACS 1-year data shows the median family income for Pittsburgh was $85,283 in 2019. Compared to the median Pennsylvania family income, Pittsburgh median family income is $4,208 higher.

Is Pittsburgh diverse?

Pittsburgh is more diverse than the average US city. The map above shows the majority race in each block for Pittsburgh, PA. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. The majority race in Pittsburgh overall is white at 72.1% of residents.

What is the economy like in Pittsburgh?

The US average is 7.3%. - The Income Tax Rate for Pittsburgh is 4.6%. The US average is 4.6%.

Income and Salaries for Pittsburgh.

ECONOMY Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States
Unemployment Rate 7.1% 6.0%
Recent Job Growth -7.1% -6.2%
Future Job Growth 24.4% 33.5%
Sales Taxes 7.0% 6.2%

What was Pittsburgh's highest population?

What was the peak population of Pittsburgh? The peak population of Pittsburgh was in 1950, when its population was 676,806. In 1950, Pittsburgh was the 12th largest city in the US; now its fallen to the 66th largest city in the US.

Why is Pittsburgh known as the city of bridges?

The city of bridges is a phrase that was coined to refer to the town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania because of the large number of bridges within its limits. The city embarked on an ambitious plan to increase the number of bridges within its boundaries that begun in 1924 and ended in 1940.

What is the population of Pittsburgh in 2021?

Pittsburgh population in 2021 is estimated to be 303,649, covers city area of 58.34 sq mi (151.11 sq km), ranks second largest city of Pennsylvania and sixty-eight most populous city in the United States. The Greater Pittsburgh Region is a populous region in the United States which is largest city and economic center.

How many counties make up Pittsburgh?

* The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is currently defined as the following seven counties in southwestern Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland.

How many days of sun does Pittsburgh PA get?

Climate Averages
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States
Rainfall 38.3 in. 38.1 in.
Snowfall 27.7 in. 27.8 in.
Precipitation 140.4 days 106.2 days
Sunny 160 days 205 days

What is the population of Pittsburgh 2020?

Table
Population
Population, Census, April 1, 2020 302,971
Population, Census, April 1, 2010 305,704
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent  4.7%

What is the population of Detroit in 2020?

The municipality of Detroit had a 2020 population of 639,111 according to the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the United States.