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U.S. Cities that Americans Leave

Which metro areas in the U.S. lost the greatest number of people via domestic migration between 2010–2024?
This measures the number of Americans who moved out minus the number who moved in
Source: 2010s, 2020s
This quiz is the opposite
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Quizmaster
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Last updated: May 15, 2025
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First submittedMay 5, 2021
Times taken33,777
Average score60.0%
Rating4.44
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Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Loss
Metro Area
2,538,000
New York City
1,457,000
Los Angeles
985,000
Chicago
451,000
Miami
363,000
San Francisco
331,000
Washington, D.C.
276,000
San Jose
Loss
Metro Area
258,000
Detroit
255,000
Boston
238,000
Philadelphia
179,000
San Diego
125,000
Honolulu
116,000
St. Louis
106,000
Baltimore
Loss
Metro Area
104,000
Cleveland
94,000
Milwaukee
78,000
Memphis
77,000
Virginia Beach
73,000
Hartford
71,000
Bridgeport / Stamford
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51 Comments
1ProximaCentauri
+18
Level 53
May 5, 2021
Rust belt+Northern Eastern seaboard+California =18/20.
cathlete
+5
Level 78
May 5, 2021
San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, Virginia Beach...?
PapaFurchetta
+4
Level 94
May 5, 2021
??? I don't believe that Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Miami or Honolulu fall into either of those two categories.
1ProximaCentauri
+4
Level 53
May 5, 2021
Forgot to add California Whoops
Quizmaster
+22
Level ∞
May 7, 2021
It seems to be places with high prices, high crime, or in the case of Chicago, both.
GlaucusExquisita
+6
Level 78
May 31, 2021
As Proxima said I'd imagine a lack of employment opportunities is probably part of it too
kalbahamut
+3
Level 79
May 31, 2021
To quote Bill Clinton.. it's the economy, stupid. Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Cost of living. Jobs. Traffic. Jobs. Jobs. Climate. Crime. in about that order.
Quizmaster
+7
Level ∞
May 15, 2025
San Francisco has the highest paying jobs market in the world and is losing people.
nonono
+3
Level 91
May 16, 2025
Part of this is a statistical blip caused by the pandemic. Today, San Francisco's population is about 10% higher than in 2000. However, it is still about 25,000 less than in 2020, but about 25,000 more than in 2021. (The 2020-2021 drop was about 50,000). It will likely even out over the remainder of the decade despite the incredibly high cost of living. I suspect that a similar phenomenon is occurring in places like Los Angeles and New York.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Aug 29, 2025
@nonono You're looking at this wrong. It's not about total population loss. It's about domestic migration.

These cities have negative domestic migration but positive international migration.

lilpick
+9
Level 61
May 31, 2021
As a Chicagoan, I disagree - our city doesn't have that much crime - I live in the South Shore in a lovely neighborhood filled with elites.
rabble
+14
Level 68
Feb 25, 2023
"Chicago's 797 homicides in 2021 highest in 25 years, most of any US city"
hwes
+2
Level 89
Aug 29, 2025
Chicago ranks 22nd in murder rate. Bimingham (Alabama), St Louis, and Memphis rank 1,2,3. In terms of overall violent crime rate, Chicago ranks 92nd. Memphis, Oakland, and Detroit are 1,2,3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
Asterlan
+8
Level 57
May 31, 2021
It certainly has a large reputation for crime, which might deter some people from moving there. And I bet a lot of it depends on the neighborhood, just like in many other major cities.
dunkinggandalf2
+8
Level 72
Jun 1, 2021
Ah, Chicago! Come for the architecture, stay because you got murdered there.

(I'll just say it now: this is obvioulsy a joke)

Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
May 15, 2025
I was in Chicago a couple years ago. Outside the central areas, it is definitely not safe.

There was a guy on the train showing me his switchblade saying "if that guy comes over here I'm going to stab him". Which was comforting, I guess, because the guy he was talking about was a lunatic who was lunging around and screaming obscenities.

Chicago's reputation for murder is born out in the stats. The murder rate in Chicago is several times the U.S. average, and about 20x what it is in London.

tyleranwar
+7
Level 81
May 5, 2021
Virginia Beach surprised me a little bit
1ProximaCentauri
+7
Level 53
May 11, 2021
More people are Moving to NoVa now.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 79
May 31, 2021
That was the only one that surprised me, too. I thought it was still growing.
JWatson24
+4
Level 71
May 31, 2021
It was Honolulu that got me personally. I thought about guessing it, but then figured it wouldn't show up because 1. amazing weather 2. seems to have a strong economy? not as sure about this, but it seems pretty well off (although I've heard the cost of living is high) and 3. moving from Hawaii to the mainland seems like a major inconvenience. Like I said though, could be wrong about 2. At any rate, it doesn't fit with the other geographical trends here.
NV1
+4
Level 55
May 31, 2021
Miami for me.
ooftownroad
+1
Level 70
Aug 29, 2025
people are finally realizing its a slum
lavernesue
+2
Level 81
May 5, 2021
It doesn't feel like NYC lost 1.5 million. Still have huge traffic jams and over priced rents.
Nyackjohn
+4
Level 80
May 31, 2021
It didn't. New York City GAINED almost 400,000 people between 2010 and 2020 (see my figures below from the Census Bureau)... which means that if as quoted on here that one million six hundred thousand left, then over TWO million would have had to move in for the net gain.

I've been selling real estate here for 20 years, and trust me, there weren't 1.6million move outs and 2million move ins in the last decade. These figures are flat out incorrect.

Neptune777
+21
Level 71
May 31, 2021
it also says metro area and not the city itself.. don't brag ab yourself while showing you can't read
WarKriminal
+3
Level 35
May 31, 2021
lmao
nsg794
+10
Level 44
Jul 3, 2021
also says Americans... international immigration isn't considered in this
EvanAviator
+4
Level 61
May 31, 2021
it doesnt count the people who were BORN, only migration
WillemLAif
+3
Level 81
May 6, 2021
Well, I would have never gotten B/S. Didn't even know the place(s) existed.
French2010
+6
Level 96
May 6, 2021
Just another CT city area on the downswing. Like many states, CT is a study in contrasts - incredibly rich areas like Greenwich and New Canaan just down the road from decrepit cities such as Bridgeport with declining population and no salvation in sight.
Ghugoo
+2
Level 30
May 26, 2021
Hey Can I translate this quiz in french ?
Nyackjohn
+2
Level 80
May 31, 2021
New York City's Population GAINED almost 400,000 people in that decade, which if your figure of one million plus moving out were correct, almost TWO million would have had to move in to make the net gain. Highly Unlikely - your source appears flawed.

Population of New York City 2010 - 8,175,031 US CENSUS BUREAU

Population of New York City 2019 - 8,336,817 US CENSUS BUREAU

Population of New York City 2020 - 8,550,971 US CENSUS PRELIMINARY

An increase of 380,000 people - your figures are very wrong - it over a million people LEFT NYC during that time, it would mean over TWO MILLION moved in during that time.

I sell Real Estate in NYC - nope, not even close. Where did you get these stats?

Since this quiz incorrectly implies that some cities are shrinking while in fact they are growing, why not do a quiz about which cities had "net losses" in population, meaning they actually got smaller rather than this method that only shows half of the equation?

Quizmaster
+19
Level ∞
May 31, 2021
The "flawed" source is the U.S. Census Bureau and the source is linked. Look for yourself.

There are four components of population change which are broken down in the source:

1. Births

2. Deaths

3. Net domestic migration

4. Net international migration

I hope you can understand how the population can still grow if 1 and 4 are higher than 2 and 3. It's not rocket science.

Finally, as @NiobiumVoid said, the quiz uses metro population not city population.

Sorry you don't like the numbers but the quiz is accurate.

kalbahamut
+2
Level 79
May 31, 2021
The last census was a fiasco.
InterAlia
+3
Level 83
Jan 22, 2023
Nyack - maybe lay low for a while. NYC real estate folks of a certain ilk are having a bad run lately.
bestanford
+6
Level 73
May 31, 2021
Connecticut representation here is crazy. They have no top 40 metro areas yet three with the most domestic out-migration.
rabble
+3
Level 68
Feb 25, 2023
"Top stories of 2021: Hartford has deadliest year since 2003"

Looks like gang shootings & drivebys have overrun the city.

carrow
+2
Level 50
May 31, 2021
Got this completely wrong by glancing at the loss figures and assuming it was city proper population, so I was trying to think of tiny dying Midwestern places.
jxdn
+2
Level 33
Jun 2, 2021
The funny thing is Texas doesn’t have a single city on there 🤣
1ProximaCentauri
+2
Level 53
Jun 3, 2021
Everything's bigger in Texas!
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
May 15, 2025
El Paso is #21.
robertbcms
+11
Level 70
Jun 2, 2021
Pleasantly surprised not to see Pittsburgh
MyNameWasTaken
+2
Level 46
Jun 3, 2021
If this were from 2001-2010 then New Orleans would probably be #1 on the list because of Hurricane Katrina
SpartanLlama
+2
Level 79
May 13, 2025
More like Lost Angeles 💀💀💀
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 79
May 13, 2025
17/20, missed Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport/Stamford
jdmercia
+2
Level 88
May 15, 2025
What’s the story with Miami?
Jzakibe
+2
Level 79
Sep 2, 2025
Probably housing costs through the roof and insurance rates through the roof.
mf3
+1
Level 90
May 15, 2025
Surprised by some of these, after having done the "Cities with the Biggest Increase" quiz. For example: biggest growth: Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville. Biggest shrinkage: Memphis, Miami.
Djai
+1
Level 63
May 27, 2025
My guess is there's probably a lot of people who enjoy the culture of their region and hate the city they're located in, and move within the state. For instance if you live in Memphis, a city known for high crime, but you like the culture of Tennessee, you might move out as soon as you have the means, maybe even into Nashville. I'd also say most out of state implants would have the means to avoid undesirable cities when searching for a new place to live, since moving cross country isn't cheap to begin with.
bunbud
+1
Level 61
Aug 29, 2025
as a canadian i'm happy to say that i got 15 by myslef :D
Mapsarefun
+1
Level 34
Aug 30, 2025
Im not falling for that rage-bait
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