Population Shift

The number of Black residents in the St. Louis region has slightly increased over the past year. New U.S. Census data shows there are about 2,900 more African Americans in the area. Despite that rise, St. Louis city’s Black population is declining.

The region bucks the norm in most other major metropolitan areas: people from India make up the largest share of foreign-born people in the St. Louis region over people from Mexico.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline.

New census data shows the St. Louis metropolitan region lost around 19,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022. St. Louis and St. Louis County led the declines while suburban and exurban counties, like St. Charles, Lincoln and Jefferson, posted gains as they have in the past.

An annual report by the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the St. Louis metropolitan region saw a population drop of about half of one percent last year. Much of the estimated decrease came from the City of St. Louis.

Demographers say after years of a declining birth rate, the student population declines aren’t a surprise. Still, they have a big impact on the operations of schools.

The 14-county region hovered around 2.8 million people only shedding about 10,000 between 2020 and 2021, but the changes weren’t evenly distributed.

The Asian community grew 37% in the past decade, and the region’s universities play a key role as an attraction. But there are many other things that make the area desirable.

More than 27,000 Black residents left St. Louis over the past decade for other counties or states. Many left for better jobs, schools and safety.

Mientras algunos grupos en St. Louis están disminuyendo en población según el último censo, la comunidad latina está creciendo exponencialmente. “El Arch ahora se ha convertido en un símbolo de hogar para mí,” dijo una residente latina que se mudó a St. Louis en la última década.