Overview

• A new study predicts that by 2100, almost half of the 30,000 cities in the United States will lose up to a quarter of their population.
• The study combined data from the U.S. Census and climate change scenarios to create their analysis, predicting that the Midwest and Northeast will see the greatest declines.
• Urban cities with lower household incomes are expected to take the greatest hits, while high-income cities in suburban and rural areas are expected to increase in population.
• The depopulation could disrupt basic services like power, water, and transit services, and pose challenges for aging infrastructure.
• The study's authors suggest a shift away from growth-based planning to better accommodate this demographic shift.