Huntsville has overtaken Mobile as the third largest city in the state of Alabama. According to new numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Rocket City is estimated to have a population of 193,079, while Mobile’s is estimated a 192,904. These estimates compile data and estimate through July 1st of 2016.
This is a significant change from last year, when Mobile held a nearly 2,500-resident lead on Huntsville. The gap was even wider in 2014, and there was a difference of more than 11,000 in 2011.
This shift can be attributed to Huntsville gaining residents and Mobile losing them. In the past year alone, Huntsville’s population estimate has risen by 2,136, and Mobile’s has decreased by 489. This trend has continued since the last census was taken in 2010. In that span of time, Huntsville has gained 12,100 persons, and Mobile’s population has fallen by 2,207.
Birmingham will remain the most populous city in the state with an estimated 212,157 residents. The Magic City is followed by Montgomery, which is projected to have 200,022. But both of those cities are seeing a decrease in numbers as well. Birmingham lost over 300 residents from 2015 to 2016. More significantly, it has only seen a net gain of 120 people since 2010. Montgomery has seen a steeper drop, losing nearly 900 from 2016 to 2015 and 5,631 since 2010.
Statewide, the population increased by about 10,000 people. The 2015 estimate for Alabama was 4,853,875, and that figure was raised to 4,863,300 in 2016. It will be interesting to see if these trends continue and what cities are the most populous in 2020, when the next census is taken.
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