New faces could be fueling Pittsburgh's turnaround
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Residents enjoying the water steps on Pittsburgh's North Shore. Photo: Alexis Johnson/Axios
After decades of Pittsburgh being marketed as the "most livable city," outsiders might finally be taking the bait.
Why it matters: The region has long suffered from population decline, but things appear to be turning around, and new residents who have few ties to Pittsburgh could be part of that.
By the numbers: The Pittsburgh region gained about 450 residents between 2023 and 2024, turning things around after losing population the last few years.
- That was largely due to netting more than 10,000 immigrants in that time period, which offset the region's natural population decline from deaths and sluggish domestic migration.
What they're saying: It's not just immigrants who are boosting the area's population — new residents from outside the state are calling Pittsburgh home at higher rates than before, said Keane George, managing director of real estate company SVN | Three Rivers Commercial Advisors.
- George cites one of his clients who recently moved from D.C. to the North Side because of its relative affordability and the restaurants, parks and museums within walking distance of his home.
- He also cites the Strip District's exploding population.
- "We offer a lot of amenities now in a lot more neighborhoods. It used to be just Squirrel Hill and Shadyside. We have improved in the cool factor," he said.
Brittany Borga is the owner and pilates instructor of Club Pilates locations in Shadyside and Murrysville. She grew up in Pittsburgh, moved away in her 20s, and then returned about seven years ago. She's noticed things have changed.
- Most of her clients are 30–50 years old and did not grow up in Pittsburgh.
- "They used to have this saying that Pittsburgh was always 20 years behind, but Pittsburgh now feels closer to on par with everyone else."
Between the lines: The Pittsburgh region is still experiencing negative net domestic migration — more people moving within the U.S. are leaving Pittsburgh than arriving — but things appear to be improving.
- It lost about 2,000 people via this metric between 2023 and 2024.
- Since the pandemic, Pittsburgh has bucked its pre-pandemic trend of a ballooning negative domestic out-migration, according to a 2023 paper from the Cleveland Fed.
- The rate at which more people are moving out of Pittsburgh than are moving in is shrinking, said the paper.
The big picture: VisitPittsburgh president and CEO Jerad Bachar tells Axios he isn't surprised to hear more outsiders are calling the region home.
- "That balance of livability and affordability makes Pittsburgh stand out as both a must-visit destination and a place people are proud to call home."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Brittany Borga owns Club Pilates studios (not Club One).