Fastest Shrinking US Cities 2026

City
Rank
State
Annual Change
2026 Pop.
2020 Pop.
Density (/mi²)
Area (mi²)
Type
Mableton1Georgia-9.06%43,62377,1121,20236 City
Big Spring2Texas-3.44%21,30326,2891,11319 City
Greenville3Mississippi-2.13%25,92329,49796427 City
Florence4Arizona-1.75%24,52627,27139263 Town
Jackson5Mississippi-1.65%138,450153,0251,240112 City
St. Louis6Missouri-1.57%273,179300,3024,42662 City
Twentynine Palms7California-1.53%25,59728,07543659 City
Ithaca8New York-1.49%20,34922,26570329 Town
Coronado9California-1.43%20,57322,4352,5388 City
Union City10California-1.41%64,22369,9323,31119 City
Pine Bluff11Arkansas-1.4%37,65740,97785244 City
New Iberia12Louisiana-1.36%26,16428,4132,34811 City
Pleasanton13California-1.36%73,40279,6733,04124 City
Manhattan Beach14California-1.32%32,63935,3488,2974 City
Sulphur15Louisiana-1.28%20,18021,8001,79611 City
Cerritos16California-1.28%45,72649,3895,2409 City
National City17California-1.26%56,97161,4547,7577 City
San Leandro18California-1.25%84,14690,7316,31613 City
San Francisco19California-1.23%812,530875,13917,39947 City
Shreveport20Louisiana-1.23%173,439186,8091,604108 City
Rancho Palos Verdes21California-1.23%39,12942,1342,90413 City
Lawndale22California-1.21%29,49931,73314,9592 City
White Bear Lake23Minnesota-1.2%23,05024,7882,8658 City
Huntington Park24California-1.2%50,88554,70616,9223 City
Hawthorne25California-1.2%81,67687,78513,4186 City
Redondo Beach26California-1.19%66,42671,38710,7176 City
Maywood27California-1.19%23,29525,03519,8761 City
Diamond Bar28California-1.19%51,20455,0063,44215 City
New Orleans29Louisiana-1.17%357,183383,3612,107170 City
Monterey Park30California-1.17%56,72560,8747,3948 City
Beverly Hills31California-1.16%30,37432,5815,3216 City
Cudahy32California-1.16%21,18322,71918,0131 City
Brooklyn Center33Minnesota-1.15%31,40033,6583,9248 City
Torrance34California-1.14%136,656146,4266,66121 City
Bell35California-1.13%31,23733,44712,4553 City
Azusa36California-1.13%46,89450,2024,85410 City
Bellflower37California-1.11%73,84478,96212,0726 City
La Mirada38California-1.1%45,40348,5325,8038 City
Inglewood39California-1.1%100,488107,37811,0839 City
Paramount40California-1.1%50,14653,57810,6115 City
Golden Valley41Minnesota-1.09%21,04022,4752,06210 City
San Dimas42California-1.09%32,58234,8002,16715 City
Glendora43California-1.09%49,08752,4172,51620 City
Charleston44West Virginia-1.08%45,56348,6461,45131 City
Calabasas45California-1.08%21,77723,2421,58914 City
Compton46California-1.08%89,43095,4268,91910 City
New Hope47Minnesota-1.07%20,53421,9074,0605 City
Lakewood48California-1.07%77,07682,2228,2059 City
Bell Gardens49California-1.07%36,92239,37915,0152 City
Norwalk50California-1.07%96,024102,4089,89210 City
Columbus51Mississippi-1.06%22,50723,99589925 City
Livermore52California-1.05%82,46987,8763,10427 City
New Brighton53Minnesota-1.05%21,87623,3003,3686 City
Lynwood54California-1.04%62,70966,77512,9545 City
South Pasadena55California-1.04%25,20926,8437,3953 City
Houma56Louisiana-1.03%31,34533,3442,16714 City
Sandy57Utah-1.01%91,36097,1113,77224 City
Alexandria58Louisiana-1.01%42,45645,1221,49128 City
Clinton59Mississippi-1.01%26,32327,97662942 City
Key West60Florida-1.01%24,80926,3644,4316 City
Carson61California-1%89,80495,4084,79419 City
Taylorsville62Utah-1%56,84860,3915,24111 City
Downey63California-1%107,286113,9638,64612 City
  • 2026 is projected based on recent estimates
  • Shows cities over 20k population that are shrinking at an average annual rate over 1% since the 2020 Census

Fastest Shrinking Cities in the United States

Mableton is the fastest-shrinking city in the United States among cities with more than 20,000 residents, declining at an average annual rate of -9.06% since the 2020 Census. It is followed by Big Spring (-3.44%) and Greenville (-2.13%). These cities represent the steepest percentage declines in the current Census estimate period, which can reflect local economic shifts, housing changes, migration patterns, or corrections from prior population estimates.

The list highlights how population decline is not limited to one region. Several of the fastest-shrinking cities are in California, while other declining cities appear across older industrial areas, college towns, and smaller regional centers. Because this ranking is based on annualized percentage change rather than total population loss, smaller cities can rank highly when they lose a relatively modest number of residents compared with their overall population.