New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, home to jazz music, Creole cuisine, and Mardis Gras, witnessed a 29% decrease in population from 2000 to 2010.

The 140,845 person loss in population can be attributed to two major Hurricanes: Ivan in 2004 and Katrina a year after. Half of the residents voluntarily evacuated New Orleans in 2004, and an estimated 80% evacuated in 2005 after Mayor Ray Nagin ordered the first-ever mandatory evacuation of the city.

It is important to note that Orleans Parish is still growing since 2010, by an average annual 1.4% according to Esri 2017 updates. However, the population in 2017 remains smaller than the population in 2005, before Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans is a major U.S. port and is the largest city in Louisiana. 

Although New Orleans had an overall decrease in population, if we zoom into the map below, we can see a few pockets of growth in blue scattered around New Orleans and in the downtown area. However, notice that most of the city is covered in magenta symbols representing areas of loss. For example, Census Tract 138, a large magenta symbol east of Metairie, lost 5,453 people, an 85% loss in population. Interact with the map below to explore population change in New Orleans:

As we zoom into the map, the level of detail increases from county to tract. If we zoom in even more, the block group level activates. Click on any symbol in the map above to view more information about a particular area.

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, nicknamed the "Motor City", is best known for cars and Motown. As the heart of the American automobile industry, Detroit rapidly grew by more than 1,000 times from 1,422 people in 1820 to over 1.5 million in 1930! However, from 2000 to 2010, Wayne County Michigan — home to Detroit — experienced a 12% decrease in population.

The recent hardship of the domestic auto-industry and the collapse of the industrial-based economy were major causes for Detroit's loss in population.  Another reason for this loss was the exodus of African American residents to the suburbs which was tied to housing foreclosures in the city, relatively higher tax rates in Detroit, and more affordable suburban housing. 

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Detroit is the most populous city in Michigan and is home to the "Big Three" auto manufacturer headquarters: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.Interact with the map below to explore population change in Detroit:

Detroit's population loss is symbolized with a large magenta gauge in the map below. Notice how Detroit is surrounded by numerous blue gauges. This represents the shift in population from the inner city to the suburbs of Detroit. Macomb County, northeast of Detroit and home to Sterling Heights, experienced the greatest increase in population among the surrounding Detroit suburbs (52,829 people, a 7% gain in 10 years). Interact with the map below to explore population change in Detroit:

Houston, Texas

Houston, known for NASA's space center and the largest medical center in the world, was the number one fastest growing metropolitan area from 2000 to 2010. Harris County — home to Houston— experienced a 20% increase in population from 3,400,578 people to 4,092,459 people.

This growth is attributed to increased immigration from Latin America, Hurricane Katrina evacuees, job growth, and a low cost of living. Nicknamed the "Space City", Houston is home to numerous academic institutions, energy-sector employers which include the oil industry, the Texas Medical Center, and a growing biotech industry. Houston's diversity, pro-business policies, and lack of zoning laws attract numerous jobs to the area. 

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States.

Explore this interactive map to learn more about population change in Houston:

Riverside County, California

Riverside County, California, also known as the "Inland Empire", is home to beautiful orange groves, Joshua Tree National Park, and resort cities such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert. From 2000 to 2010, Riverside County grew by 42% making it the fastest growing county in California.

Much of this growth is due to a common state-wide pattern of populations moving from coastal California cities, such as San Diego, to more affordable inland cities such as Temecula and Murietta. California as a whole also experienced an increase in population during this time from natural increase, where the number of births is greater than the number of deaths, and immigration from other countries. 

Temecula and Murrieta accounted for 20% of the increase in Riverside County's population between 2000 and 2007. The city of Riverside, birthplace of California's citrus industry, is the most populous city in Riverside County and the Inland Empire.

Explore this interactive map to learn more about population change in Riverside. Zoom out to see how this compares to the rest of California:

Use the search bar in the map below or pan and zoom to your area to see how population shifted from 2000 to 2010. For mobile devices, click here.

All of the maps shown in this story map used a single Census layer found in the Living Atlas. Click here to explore scale-dependent layers containing 2000 to 2010 Census data related to age, gender, and housing characteristics.