What the 10 fastest-shrinking cities say about America
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates ; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios As exurban cities near booming metro areas explode in growth, hundreds of U.S. communities are losing residents at a pace that signals deep structural decline. Why it matters: The shrinking cities are a crisis in plain sight. They concentrate poverty and tend to have aging infrastructure and limited job growth. They struggle to attract doctors and teachers and have few of the amenities drawing younger A…


