Original research
Original data research from PlainCities. Every page is rendered live from the portal database, no number is hardcoded, and every figure is auditable to the source row.
What this research covers
PlainCities research ranks and decomposes live Census ACS, Census PEP, FBI UCR, NOAA, and NCES fields across 28,702 incorporated places in 52 states; 4,778 places clear the PEP ≥5,000-resident 2020 floor used in growth studies, of which 1,841 show a 2020–2025 population decline.
Studies below answer one ranking or change question each; they are descriptive city statistics, not relocation or investment advice.
Each study runs a fresh query against the same federal datasets behind every city profile, then reads the result back as prose and charts. Because nothing is hand-typed, the numbers stay correct as the underlying Census, FBI and NOAA releases are reingested.
Release-diff report comparing Census Population Estimates Program figures: national, state, and city deltas for eligible incorporated places. Citeable with CiteThis attribution; complements the national statistics page.
Large US cities ranked by median gross rent, with the most affordable markets for contrast, live from Census ACS Table B25064.
Large US cities ranked by the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, live from Census ACS Table S1501.
PlainCities ranks the largest US cities by total population using US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
PlainCities ranks US cities by median household income from US Census Bureau American Community Survey data.
PlainCities ranks US cities by total residential building permits issued in 2024 using HUD Building Permits Survey data.
Every figure above comes from the same source tables and queries documented on the methodology page, which lists the exact Census, FBI, and NOAA tables behind each study.
Download the city profile extract used in these studies: plaincities-cities.csv. Catalog: /data.