Philly's still the sixth-biggest U.S. city — for now
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Philadelphia has had the largest population drop of any municipality in Pennsylvania between 2020 and 2024, losing 29,878 residents, per the latest census estimates.
Why it matters: The city's population is more slowly rebounding from the pandemic compared with some of our peer cities.
By the numbers: We had more than 1.6 million residents at the start of 2020 compared with 1.57 million last year.
- Philadelphia added more than 10,500 residents between 2023 and 2024, a .7% increase.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has added 4,708 residents between 2020 and 2024 — the largest raw number increase of any Pennsylvania municipality during that stretch.
The big picture: Philly remains the sixth-biggest city in the country — but San Antonio, Texas, is nipping at our heels, the census data shows.
- San Antonio jumped nearly 24,000 residents between 2023 and 2024, bringing its population to more than 1.52 million.
Between the lines: Population change reflects both in-and-out migration as well as births and deaths.
The bottom line: Philly's got to pick up the pace if it doesn't want to get lapped by the Alamo City.