Special Report
This is the Fastest Shrinking Place in Texas
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The U.S. population grew by just 0.35% between July 2019 and July 2020, the smallest annual growth rate in well over a century. Driven in part by restrictions on immigration and a declining birth rate, stagnant population growth may have profound and far reaching consequences — including reduced economic growth, stagnanting home values, and fewer workers to support an aging population.
This trend is by no means unique to last year. Over the past decade, cities and towns across the country have reported rapid population decline.
The city of San Elizario has the fastest shrinking population in Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Currently home to an estimated 9,130 people, San Elizario’s population declined by 36.1% from 2010 to 2019. Meanwhile, Texas’ population expanded by 16.2% over the same period.
While declining immigration and falling birth rates largely explain the national slowdown in population growth, at the local level, these factors are compounded by residents moving out. An estimated 40 million Americans move each year, and one of the most common reasons is for improved economic opportunity.
Outbound migration from San Elizario may be due in part to lower than average incomes in the area. The typical area household earns $36,213 a year, while most households across Texas earn at least $61,874.
All data in this story are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. All cities, towns, villages, boroughs, and census designated places with populations of at least 1,000 and where the margin of error for the population was less than 10% were considered. This is the fastest shrinking place in every state.
| Place | Pop. change, 2010 to 2019 | State pop. change, 2010 to 2019 | Total population, 2010 | Total population, 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama: Forestdale | -17.5% | +3.5% | 10,811 | 8,924 |
| Alaska: Big Lake | -17.6% | +6.6% | 3,250 | 2,678 |
| Arizona: San Carlos | -19.4% | +12.9% | 5,523 | 4,451 |
| Arkansas: Brinkley | -17.5% | +4.4% | 3,324 | 2,742 |
| California: Willowbrook | -35.1% | +7.2% | 35,174 | 22,811 |
| Colorado: Lincoln Park | -21.9% | +14.8% | 4,204 | 3,283 |
| Connecticut: Putnam | -11.9% | +0.8% | 7,505 | 6,615 |
| Delaware: Glasgow | -8.2% | +8.6% | 15,648 | 14,359 |
| Florida: Siesta Key | -15.2% | +12.9% | 6,573 | 5,573 |
| Georgia: Druid Hills | -42.7% | +9.9% | 14,603 | 8,365 |
| Hawaii: Waimanalo Beach | -11.9% | +6.6% | 4,629 | 4,076 |
| Idaho: Mountain Home AFB | -16.7% | +12.5% | 3,613 | 3,009 |
| Illinois: Cairo | -28.5% | +0.2% | 2,963 | 2,120 |
| Indiana: Dunkirk | -17.0% | +3.9% | 2,437 | 2,022 |
| Iowa: Sac City | -12.8% | +4.1% | 2,294 | 2,001 |
| Kansas: Oswego | -21.4% | +3.6% | 2,133 | 1,676 |
| Kentucky: Fort Knox | -27.1% | +3.8% | 11,933 | 8,695 |
| Louisiana: Norco | -15.6% | +5.3% | 3,375 | 2,850 |
| Maine: Winslow | -37.0% | +0.6% | 7,823 | 4,928 |
| Maryland: Sykesville | -11.6% | +5.7% | 4,454 | 3,939 |
| Massachusetts: Oxford | -12.2% | +5.8% | 6,373 | 5,595 |
| Michigan: Beecher | -23.7% | +0.1% | 11,842 | 9,041 |
| Minnesota: Appleton | -35.2% | +6.1% | 2,178 | 1,412 |
| Mississippi: Winona | -17.2% | +1.4% | 5,105 | 4,227 |
| Missouri: Spanish Lake | -19.8% | +3.1% | 21,803 | 17,485 |
| Montana: Malmstrom AFB | -13.3% | +7.9% | 4,820 | 4,179 |
| Nebraska: Franklin | -13.5% | +6.4% | 1,192 | 1,031 |
| Nevada: Hawthorne | -26.2% | +12.9% | 3,640 | 2,686 |
| New Hampshire: Derry | -4.7% | +2.6% | 22,884 | 21,817 |
| New Jersey: Avalon | -26.5% | +1.8% | 1,914 | 1,406 |
| New Mexico: Zuni Pueblo | -26.5% | +3.9% | 9,527 | 7,001 |
| New York: South Nyack | -39.0% | +1.8% | 5,548 | 3,387 |
| North Carolina: James City | -14.1% | +10.7% | 6,236 | 5,354 |
| North Dakota: Bottineau | -14.4% | +14.7% | 2,445 | 2,094 |
| Ohio: Wheelersburg | -14.3% | +1.2% | 7,099 | 6,082 |
| Oklahoma: Watonga | -43.9% | +7.0% | 5,139 | 2,881 |
| Oregon: Roseburg North | -26.9% | +9.8% | 6,919 | 5,059 |
| Pennsylvania: Bellwood | -21.0% | +1.4% | 2,047 | 1,618 |
| Rhode Island: Warwick | -3.2% | +0.1% | 83,676 | 80,993 |
| South Carolina: Allendale | -17.0% | +11.3% | 3,626 | 3,009 |
| South Dakota: Fort Thompson | -13.5% | +8.9% | 1,428 | 1,235 |
| Tennessee: Belle Meade | -21.1% | +7.6% | 2,891 | 2,280 |
| Texas: San Elizario | -36.1% | +16.2% | 14,277 | 9,126 |
| Utah: Price | -2.5% | +16.5% | 8,473 | 8,265 |
| Vermont: St. Johnsbury | -12.7% | +0.0% | 6,722 | 5,865 |
| Virginia: Mason Neck | -11.5% | +7.8% | 2,245 | 1,986 |
| Washington: Fairchild AFB | -19.8% | +12.8% | 4,159 | 3,336 |
| West Virginia: Nitro | -15.3% | -1.3% | 7,083 | 5,997 |
| Wisconsin: Nashotah | -21.5% | +2.7% | 1,553 | 1,219 |
| Wyoming: Warren AFB | -15.0% | +6.5% | 2,888 | 2,456 |
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