People Are Leaving These Major North American Cities and Towns In Droves

Major Industries: High tech and manufacturing
Annual Growth Rate: 1.06%*

What once was on the list of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S., the city of Portland is now seeing its growth rate drop almost to zero. Once hailed as a hipster’s paradise, with athletes drawn to the lush green city because of nearby Nike headquarters, Portland has fallen on hard times. One reason being that Portland’s property taxes have been steadily rising, and many starving artists who once flocked to the city are now being priced out. 

Portland @TFoxFoto / Shutterstock

In addition to the cost of living increasing, the actual amount of homes in Portland, Oregon is decreasing. The average rental cost is $1,522 a month, which is way higher than almost anywhere else in America. Additionally, plans for apartment complex developments have stalled, leading to a shortage in places to rent and own. 

The crime rate in Portland has also been cited as a major reason why people aren’t staying in the bohemian city. There have been increased rates of burglaries happening throughout the Portland metro area, as well as an increase in its homeless population, which has resulted in homeless camps in almost every major neighborhood.

Major Industries: High tech and tourism
Annual Growth Rate: 0.15%*

Home to tech giants Apple, Google, and Salesforce to name a few, the Golden Gate Bridge city is iconic for its hippie counterculture of the 60s and tech culture of today. Being the most expensive place to live in the country, accessible only to the wealthy tech elite, it follows that the city has seen a decrease in population over the recent years. 

San Francisco @ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock

There is a complete lack of affordable housing for many middle-class residents which has driven many out of this beautiful but exceptionally costly city. Besides a significantly high cost of living forcing people further out of the Bay Area, there has been a drop in the birth rate which has further compounded the slowing of the city’s growth. 

Additionally, homelessness remains a huge problem in San Francisco, one which has gotten worse over time.  The city counted 7,500 homeless in 2017, with 66% of them dealing with serious mental and physical health issues.

Major Industries: Aerospace, pharma, engineering
Annual Growth Rate: 0.6%*

Montreal, Quebec, remains one of Canada’s most lucrative and inviting cities. Although the population growth plateaued for some time in the ‘70s, by the ‘90s things were looking up. As of 2021, over 4.2 million people call Montreal home, with that number only set to increase – at least, that’s what the trend says. 

Montreal, Quebec ©Songquan Deng / Shutterstock.com

However, trends are there to be bucked. It’s thought that the numbers could exceed 5.2 million by 2030, but more people means more jobs. There’s an enormous amount of pressure on the government to ensure new businesses keep coming into Montreal to cater to the ever-growing populus. 

In 2020, the unemployment rate for Quebec in general skyrocketed to 17.5%, a record high. Montreal itself had an unemployment rate of 18.2% in April 2020, so if this figure doesn’t decrease it could present a problem that won’t go away any time soon. 

Major Industries: Tech and manufacturing
Annual Growth Rate: 0.81%*

Like many of the other major metropolitan cities on this list, Seattle has a high cost of living and lacks affordable housing options for many of its residents. Although Seattle has been previously ranked as one of the fastest-growing cities in America, the pace of growth has come way down recently. 

Seattle @moderndest / Shutterstock

Seattle is home to some of the “Big 5” tech giants including Microsoft and Amazon, but even this isn’t enough of a draw anymore to keep young professionals flocking to the rainy city. As Amazon continues to expand elsewhere, opening a second headquarters in Virginia, Seattle’s future looks bleaker and bleaker. 

Homelessness has been a huge problem in Seattle ever since Hooverville was erected during the Great Depression. This shanty town housed thousands of male residents with very few children and absolutely no women. Though Hooverville has since disbanded and a century has passed, the problem of homelessness has definitely not.  

Major Industries: Arts, culture, tourism
Annual Growth Rate: -2.9%*

Nova Scotia has long since been regarded as a truly wonderful part of the Great White North. Cape Breton is an island nestled in the city of Sydney. While it’s a region of another location, it has a solid identity of its own that’s helped it over the years – although for 20 years it was in trouble. 

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ©chrisontour84 / Shutterstock.com

From 200, the population was in a dire state, with year-on-year declines slowly whittling down the magic of Cape Breton. However, in 2019, things went the other way and the population started to grow once more, thanks in part to the drop in unemployment rates across the area. 

Local experts put this down to the thriving student body at Cape Breton University, and students that came from other countries. While seeing this boom was a great thing, it did put pressure on local services, with many transportation links struggling to cope with the sudden demand. 

Major Industries: Financial services and health care
Annual Growth Rate: 0.23%*

New York is one of the most iconic cities in the world, known for its melting pot of cultures, endless energy, and Wall Street. Even so, the city full of financial giants like JP Morgan has been seeing its population take a nosedive in recent years. While the concrete jungle has always been a symbol of hope, a lot of New Yorkers are realizing that the New York version of the American Dream is harder and harder to come by these days.  

New York City @Nielskliim / Shutterstock

One issue that has impacted demographics is New York’s rise in crime. While the data suggests that violent crimes may be in decline, the city’s reputation for late-night muggings cannot be shaken, and may be a deterrent to new (and veteran) residents. 

Many people are moving out of the city to increase their standard of living by getting more for their money elsewhere. New York is known for sky-high rent and enormous taxes, so people are leaving to find more suitable housing options in less densely populated areas. 

Major Industries: Manufacturing and food processing
Annual Growth Rate: 0.27%*

If you want deep-dish pizza and delicious hot dogs, the Windy City is the place to be. Home to the Chicago Cubs and the iconic silver Bean statue, as well as the headquarters to major companies from Boeing to McDonald’s, the third-largest city in America can compete with cities on either coast any day. But despite the attractions, Chicago has been losing residents for years now, shrinking by the thousands on a yearly basis. 

Chicago @ezellhphotography / Shutterstock

IRS data shows that many residents of the city are moving to states where taxes are lower. Many Chicagoans are stuck paying costly income taxes, which has caused people to look for more affordable housing options elsewhere. The cold climate also takes a toll on its residents, which could be another reason why people aren’t staying in Chi-town.

While Chicago boasts an intriguing art scene that includes underground music, cinema and craft artisanry, the decline in above-the-line jobs over the years has made the city increasingly difficult to live in. Also: Chicago is notoriously freezing!

Major Industries: Service sector, manufacturing
Annual Growth Rate: -0.7%*

Bathurst, New Brunswick sits right on the shore of the Nepisiguit River, spending a large portion of its history as a mining town. For half a decade, the Bathurst Mining Camp boosted the economy, with many locals finding work with the company. However, by 2013, the site was closed and Bathurst was hit with a rise in unemployment, just like other nearby towns. 

Bathurst, New Brunswick ©Eric L Tollstam / Shutterstock.com

The population of the city peaked in the ‘70s when it reached a high of over 16,000, but its people have been steadily leaving ever since. As of 2020, there has been a yearly decline of around 0.7% annually. As it stands, less than 12,000 people call Bathurst home. 

Bathurst has also tried to nurture the tourism scene over the years, with its LA Promenade Waterfront. Visitors can stroll along and browse the various shows, while special events are put on at different times throughout the year for both the locals and otherwise. Sadly, this quaint practice doesn’t seem to draw in permanent residents. 

Major Industries: Federal government and tourism
Annual Growth Rate: 1.04%*

The nation’s capital is full of business, politics, and hundreds of years of history. Although there are a lot of job opportunities in this special metropolitan city, with big companies like Capital One headquartered nearby, both the property taxes and housing costs are extremely high.

Washington, D.C. @Kyle Lee / Shutterstock

Over the last decade, while there has been a major influx of young professionals moving into the city, this has led to large scale gentrification that has relegated a lot of lifelong DC-natives to nearby Maryland and Virginia, where housing costs are lower. 

In the city, young professional residents are hesitant to live in certain areas, as five percent of D.C.’s city blocks accounted for over one-quarter of crime in the city. Professional residents would rather reside in bedroom communities and commute to work. Though crime is down in D.C. since the 90s, it is still a potential factor in D.C.’s “shrinking.”

Major Industries: Fishing, port, tourism
Annual Growth Rate: -2.8%*

When looked at from an aerial view, Prince Rupert in British Columbia looks like something out of a fantasy. Sat on top of the coastal mountains, there’s no denying that the location is incredibly idyllic, but how does that isolation translate into everyday life? 

Prince Rupert, British Columbia ©RUBEN M RAMOS / Shutterstock.com

This small city is perfect for those looking to get away, but in order to thrive in this city, you’ll need to be a keen fisherman or be willing to work in tourism. There aren’t many other options. As well as this, Prince Rupert has a worryingly high crime rate and it’s not close to any major cities. 

Population peaked in the mid-90s at just over 16.5k, before sharply dropping at an accelerated rate. Prince Rupert might be undeniably beautiful, but with so few opportunities and the fact it’s hours away from the closest big city, it’s not hard to see why people are choosing to lay their hats elsewhere. 

Major Industries: Manufacturing and tourism
Annual Growth Rate: 0.23%*

The beach, the celebrities, the palm trees, the weather, and the movie studios like Disney and Warner Bros. — sounds like paradise! Everything might be rosy about Los Angeles,  except for the exorbitant cost of living. Not only is there a lack of housing in the spread out city, but that lack of housing drives up the prices on existing properties. 

Los Angeles @Kit Leong / Shutterstock

The city has been seeing negative net migration, with many residents moving from LA to inland areas such as Riverside and San Bernardino. Many middle-class families are leaving the Los Angeles area to find cheaper markets with more opportunities in cities such as Dallas, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. 

LA’s higher-than-average cost of living (one of the highest in the world, in fact) makes it a difficult city to afford in general. But in combination with dwindling job opportunities outside of the film industry, it remains an impenetrable city.

Major Industries: Tourism
Annual Growth Rate: 0.99%*

Blue Mountains, Ontario has more Kodak-worthy scenery than many other locations. That being said, it’s no surprise that the region relies heavily on tourism, with the Blue Mountain Ski Resort employing a large portion of the town’s 7,000-strong population. 

Blue Mountains, Ontario @JasonBoardSmith / Twitter.com

However, towns that rely so heavily on tourism are often hardest hit when it comes to growth. Tourism itself relies heavily on different seasons and doesn’t always provide a steady income, so moving to a location like Blue Mountains would be a big risk. On the other hand, some people are upping sticks and leaving to seek out better opportunities. 

While the town website states it’s a “rapidly growing community” the growth isn’t quite as high as they would have you believe. Whether it’s worth visiting it as a holiday destination is one thing, but laying down roots in a town with such limited possibilities could be daunting. 

Major Industries: Aerospace and energy
Annual Growth Rate: 1.73%*

The Lone Star State has been known for its boom-and-bust economy made up of the oil and gas industry, with several Fortune 500 companies based in Houston including Phillips and Halliburton. Despite its big business, the home of the Astros is seeing slow growth compared to other Texas cities such as Austin and Dallas. 

Houston @IrinaK / Shutterstock

After being hit hard with Hurricane Harvey in the summer of 2017, Houston has worked hard to repair its infrastructure, economy and communities. Many people fled Houston as a result of the disaster, stunting the growth of people migrating to the city for a period of time. Many Houstonites or people that have considered moving to Houston have been weary of the uncertainty surrounding the oil and gas industry, another factor that has contributed to the population decline.

People are right to be uncertain. According to The Houston Chronicle, the city is among the worst cities in America for air quality. The rankings, done by the American Lung Association for its “State of the Air” report, placed Houston as #9 out of all American cities for the worst ozone pollution.

Major Industry: Electronics and food & beverage manufacturing
Annual Growth Rate: 0.35%*

Cheese and famous breweries are what comes to mind when one thinks of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but the dynamic midwestern city isn’t all fun and games. The birthplace of Kohl’s and other large companies has fallen on hard times as of late, with a rising crime rate that has left residents unsettled. On top of this, infrastructure is in serious need of a revamp to handle the increasingly harsh winters. 

Milwaukee @f11photo / Shutterstock

Milwaukee is still getting past its reputation as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in the US. Though the city has improved since then, it still has higher rates of certain crimes than the rest of America. 

Many millennials are looking to move out of the state to find job opportunities that no longer exist in Milwaukee the way they did some thirty years ago. Young professionals from Milwaukee are migrating in big numbers to places like Las Vegas and San Antonio to seek out more jobs and better overall quality of life.