Some of the nation’s big gateway markets suffered notable population declines in the past few years. While some small southern markets logged worse setbacks on a relative basis, San Francisco saw more loss than any of the largest 50 markets nationwide, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau that run through 2023. Combined with nearby Oakland in the Census definitions, San Francisco suffered a population decline of 3.7% between 2020 and 2023. Other gateway markets Los Angeles, San Jose and New York suffered declines between 2.5% and 2.9% during that time frame. The rest of the top 50 markets to see population loss of 1% or more since 2020 were mostly located in the Midwest. Looking at gateway markets where the loss was not quite as bad, Boston’s population declined just 0.3% between 2020 and 2023. On the other hand, Washington, DC’s resident base increased by 0.7% (very close to the U.S. average growth pace of 1%), while Seattle’s population was up by 0.4% in that period.
