Demographic Change in Small Cities, 1990 to 2000

Census 2000 figures reveal broad demographic changes in America's cities during the 1990 to 2000 period. Although considerable analysis has been devoted to trends in the largest cities, there has been less attention to what is happening in smaller cities, which comprise 97% of cities nationwide. Data for 100 small cities (population less than 50,000) are drawn from the 1990 and 2000 Census Summary Files. The analysis reveals that growth is occurring faster in these smaller cities than in any of their larger cohorts. Other findings are that small-city growth is fastest in the West and Midwest, is occurring more rapidly in small cities within metropolitan areas, and is spurred by increases in Hispanic, Black, and Asian populations.