REVEALED: The five fastest shrinking cities in the United States (and those growing the quickest)

[superbeets]

REVEALED: The five fastest shrinking cities in the United States (and those growing the quickest)

• Farmington, New Mexico took the top spot with a 8.76% decline in 5 years
• Pine Bluff, Arkansas, second on the list, has one of the the lowest per capita income and highest rates of violence of any US metro area
• Rounding out the top five were Johnstown, PA, Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ and Flint, Michigan
• Many of the country's fastest growing cities were in Florida, a retirement destination, and Texas

By ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:24, 16 April 2016 | UPDATED: 01:32, 16 April 2016




Even as the US population continues to grow, a number of cities in the country are losing more residents then ever before.
A new study has revealed the 20 cities shrinking at the fastest rate, revealing common trends in the areas' rates of violence, income and unemployment.
Four of the cities with the biggest drop in population in the last five years were in Illinois and West Virginia, with Ohio rounding out the top three.
But the fastest shrinking city was Farmington, New Mexico, which has seen a whopping 8.76 percent population decrease since 2010.
Fifteen of the 20 cities had per capita income in the $30,000 range, and all were below the national average of $47,615 and nearly half had an unemployment rate that exceeded the national average by 3 percent or more, according to 24/7 Wall St.
Half of the shrinking cities are in the rust belt, the country's central region that continues to rely on the decaying manufacturing industry.



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[superbeets]

Here are the top five cities that are shrinking the fastest in the country:




1. Farmington, New Mexico

Farmington has a population of 118,737. In the last five years it has declined 8.76 percent.
The per capita income is $36,197 and the unemployment rate is at 7.8 percent.
Like a number of cities with shrinking populations, Farmington has a high rate of violent crime, with 535 incidents reported per 100,000 residents in the area.
The national rate is 366 crimes per 100,000 people.

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Farmington, New Mexico is the fastest shrinking city in America. It has a population of 118,737 people



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[superbeets]

2. Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff has a population of 93,696 people. It has declined 6.38 percent in the last five years.
It has the lowest per capita income of any city on the list, as well as of most metropolitan cities in the country, at $30, 986. That's $16, 629 below the national average.
The unemployment rate is at 6.4 percent.
Pine Bluff has one of the highest violent crime rates of any US metro area. More than 7,000 people have left than moved into the city in the last five years.

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Pine Bluff, Arkansas is the second fastest shrinking city in America. It has one of the lowest per capita incomes as well as the highest violent crime rate of any metropolitan city in the US



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[superbeets]

3. Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Johnstown has a population of 136,411 people. It has declined 4.92 percent in the last five years.
The per capita income in the city is $37,563 and the unemployment rate is 6.7 percent.
Nearly 5,000 more people have left the rust belt city than arrived the last five five years.

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Johnstown, Pennsylvania is the third fastest shrinking city in America. It has a population of 136,411 people



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[superbeets]

4. Sierra Vista-Douglas, Arizona

The Sierra Vista-Douglas area has a population of 126,427 people. It has declined 4.08 percent.
Per capita income in the area is $36,720 and the unemployment rate is at 6.6 percent.

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The Sierra Vista-Douglas metro area in Arizona is the fourth fastest shrinking city in the US at 4.08 percent



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[superbeets]

5. Flint, Michigan
Flint has a population of 410, 849 people. It declined 3.34 percent in the last five years.
The city's per capita income is $34,878 and the unemployment rate is at 5.5 percent.
A whopping 20,000 more people have left that moved to Flint in the last five years as the area has been particularly hit hard by the decline of the country's manufacturing industry.
Flint was thrust into the national spotlight earlier this year after a water crisis poisoned exposed nearly 12,000 children to high levels of lead.

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Flint, Michigan, which was thrust in the national spotlight earlier this year after a horrifying water crisis, has seen a population decline of 3.34 percent in the last five years



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[superbeets]

In contrast to their shrinking counterparts, 14 of the 20 fastest growing cities have a jobless rate lower than the national average.
And although many tend to have very young populations, a number of cities on the list are also retirement destinations. Five cities on the list are in Florida, the most of any state.
More than half of the population of Villages, Florida, which took the number one spot, is 65 years or older.




Here are the five cities growing the fastest in America:






[h=2]1. The Villages, Florida[/h]The Villages has a population of 118,891 people. It has grown 26.11 percent in the last five years.
Per capita income in the metropolitan area is $37,558 and the unemployment rate is 7.3 percent.
More than half of the city's population is 65 years or older in this retirement destination, the highest proportion of any metro city in the country.

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The Villages, Florida is not only the fastest growing city in America. The retirement destination also has the highest proportion of population that is 65 years or older than any other metro area in the country



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[superbeets]

[h=2]2. Midland, Texas[/h]Midland has a population of 166,718 people. It has grown 17.57 percent in the last five years.
The city's per capita income is a whopping $94,863, nearly double the national average, and the unemployment rate is at 3.8 percent.
Only 9.7 percent of the residents in Midland are senior citizens.
Midland has an incredibly strong job market thanks in part to an oil boom. The city's GDP per capita grew by 24.1 percent. In contrast, the national GDP rate grew by 2.2 percent.

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Midland, Texas is the second fastest growing city in America. The city's per capita income is $94,863, nearly double the national average



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[superbeets]

[h=2]3. Odessa, Texas[/h]Odessa has a population of 159,436 people. It has grown 16.31 percent in the last five years.
The city's per capita income is $47,069, a few hundred dollars below the national average, and the unemployment rate is 5.4 percent.
Odessa's growth rate was most significantly caused by the number of people who moved to the area, with nearly 14,000 more people taking residence in the area than leaving it.

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Odessa, Texas is the third fastest growing city in America, with nearly 14,000 more people moving into the metropolitan area than those leaving it



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[superbeets]

4. Austin-Round Rock, Texas

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The Austin-Round Rock area in Texas is the fourth fastest growing city in America, with a population of 2,000,860. It has especially benefited from a shift in the economy favoring high-tech jobs






The Austin-Round Rock area in Texas has a population of 2,000,860, one of the highest on the list. It has grown 15.82 percent in the last five years.
Per capita income in the city is $47,026 and the unemployment rate is at a low 3.2 percent, one of the lowest in the country.
Austin has especially benefit from a shift in the economy favoring high-tech jobs, with nearly 15 percent of the city's population working in scientific occupations, more than almost any other metro city in the country.


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[superbeets]

5. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
The Myrtle Beach metropolitan area has a population of 431,964. It has grown 14.07 percent in the last five years.
Per capita income in the area is $32,913 and the unemployment rate is 7.9 percent.
The area is a retirement destination and 22.3 percent of the population is 65 years and older.

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The Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the one of the five fastest growing cities in America, thanks in part to the fact it has become a major retirement destination for the baby boomer generation



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[superbeets]

[h=3]TOP 10 SHRINKING CITIES IN THE US[/h]1. Farmington, New Mexico
2. Pine Bluff, Arkansas
3. Johnstown, Pennsylvania
4. Sierra Vista-Douglas, Arizona
5. Flint, Michigan
6. Saginaw, Michigan
7. Cumberland, Maryland-West Virginia
8. Decatur, Illinois
9. Weirton, Steubenville, West Virginia-Ohio
10. Rocky Mount, North Carolina


[h=3]TOP 10 GROWING CITIES IN THE US [/h]1. The Villages, Florida
2. Midland, Texas
3. Odessa, Texas
4. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
5. Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Area, SC-NC
6. Cape Coral-Fort Meyers, Florida
7. St George, Utah
8. Bismarck, North Dakota
9. Greeley, Colorado
10. Raleigh, North Carolina





Read more:

• America¿s Fastest Shrinking Cities - 24/7 Wall St.

 

[superbeets]

xsnake, orrs island, 1 hour ago
Obama's not so vibrant economy.


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dixie62, Greenville SC, United States, 10 minutes ago
W h i t e flight in some of those declining cities.


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null, 6 minutes ago
The states with the biggest gains both have Republican governors.


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[festeringZit]

4. Austin-Round Rock, Texas

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The Austin-Round Rock area in Texas is the fourth fastest growing city in America, with a population of 2,000,860. It has especially benefited from a shift in the economy favoring high-tech jobs






The Austin-Round Rock area in Texas has a population of 2,000,860, one of the highest on the list. It has grown 15.82 percent in the last five years.
Per capita income in the city is $47,026 and the unemployment rate is at a low 3.2 percent, one of the lowest in the country.
Austin has especially benefit from a shift in the economy favoring high-tech jobs, with nearly 15 percent of the city's population working in scientific occupations, more than almost any other metro city in the country.


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Growth has been crazy. I own an extra lot next to my house, and I've gotten multiple unsolicited offers (it's not on the market) with people showing up
at my door begging me to sell them the lot.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

Growth has been crazy. I own an extra lot next to my house, and I've gotten multiple unsolicited offers (it's not on the market) with people showing up
at my door begging me to sell them the lot.

Have you considered asking an outlandish price? Say a couple of million, just to see the reaction?