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 Appleton has the fastest shrinking population in Minnesota, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Currently home to an estimated 1,410 people, Appleton’s population declined by 35.2% from 2010 to 2019. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s population expanded by 6.1% 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 Appleton may be due in part to lower than average incomes in the area. The typical area household earns $34,856 a year, while most households across Minnesota earn at least $71,306.
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 |
