Youngstown-Warren Metro population rank drops to 104th in nation
Latest census information shows just how much the population in the Valley has declined over the past decade and even the past year as Americans migrate to the southern and western part of the nation.

WASHINGTON - Latest census information shows just how much the population in the Valley has declined over the past decade and even the past year as Americans migrate to the southern and western part of the nation.
The Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Metropolitan Area, which includes Mahoning, Trumbull and Mercer counties, has dropped from the 93rd largest metro area in the U.S. in 2010, to 104th last year, falling from a rank the 102 it held in 2017 according to new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.
The local metro area fell from a population of 564,828 in 2010 to 538,952 in 2018; a loss of 25,876 people which amounts to population decline of 4.7% over the nine-year span.
Between 2017 and 2018 the metro area lost 2,923 people for a half-percent population decline.
Last year the Valley switched places with the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metro Area in Northwest Arkansas which in one year alone grew in population by more than 10,000, moving up from the previous 104th spot to 102nd.
In the four-county area, Trumbull County has seen the largest percentage decline in population from 2010 to 2018, losing 11,698 people, or 5.6%.
Over the nine-year span, Mahoning County’s population dropped 3.8%, losing 9,146 people.
Columbiana County’s population fell by 5,187, or 4.8% from 2010 to 2018. Mercer County lost 5,985 of its population, a decline of 5.1% during the near decade long span.
U.S. Counties with the largest numeric growth are all located in the south and the west, with counties in Texas taking four out of the top 10 spots.
By metropolitan area, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, had the largest numeric growth with a gain of 131,767 (1.8 percent) in 2018, followed by Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. with an increase of 96,268 (2.0 percent).
Migration, both domestic and international, as well as natural increase contributed to the growth in each of these areas, with natural increase serving as the largest source of population growth in Dallas and domestic migration serving as the largest source in Phoenix.
“One interesting trend we are seeing this year is that metro areas not among the most populous are ranked in the top 10 for population growth,” said Sandra Johnson, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “Though no new metro areas moved into the top 10 largest areas, Phoenix, Seattle, Austin, and Orlando all experienced numeric increases in population since 2010, rivaling growth in areas with much larger populations. This trend is consistent with the overall growth we are seeing in the south and the west.”
Among counties with a population of 20,000 or more, Williams County, N.D., was the fastest-growing county by percentage, increasing by 5.9 percent between 2017 and 2018 (from 33,395 to 35,350).
The rapid growth Williams County, N.D., experienced was due mainly to net domestic migration (1,471) in 2018. The county also grew between 2017 and 2018 by natural increase (427) and international migration (52).
Of the other nine fastest-growing counties, all experienced positive domestic migration. All but Brunswick, N.C., and Hood, Texas, experienced growth through natural increase (having more births than deaths), and only Brunswick, N.C., had negative net international migration.