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The Top-Paying Low-Density Cities in the United States

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The Top-Paying Low-Density Cities in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated a mass exodus of people from dense, expensive cities to less crowded, affordable areas. A recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll found that 39 percent of urban Americans are considering moving to a less crowded location as a result of the pandemic. This shift in attitude follows a long period of urbanization that began during the Industrial Revolution and continued through the beginning of 2020.

Despite most Americans living in high-density areas, the overall population density in the U.S. is relatively low, at under 100 people per square mile. In fact, only about 5 percent of U.S. counties have a population density that exceeds 1,000 people per square mile. Most of these high-density counties are located in coastal states such as Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and California. Low-density areas are scattered throughout the country, with the lowest population densities observed in the North Central and Mountain regions.

While rural living might be attractive for some, many Americans are simply looking for less crowded alternatives to some of the most densely populated areas like New York City (27,954 per square mile), San Francisco (18,828 per square mile), and Boston (14,396 per square mile). For reference, the median population density of America’s 324 largest cities with over 100,000 residents is just 3,419 per square mile, about 80 percent less crowded than New York City.

For families seeking a less crowded place for health and safety reasons, but also wanting to maintain a comparable salary, there are several locations to consider, especially in the South and the Midwest. To find which low-density cities pay the best, researchers at Roofstock, a real estate investment platform, analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau for cities with over 100,000 residents.

The researchers first identified cities with population densities that fell below the median of 3,419 people per square mile. Then the researchers ranked the remaining cities by their respective median annual earnings for full-time workers. In the event of a tie, the city with the higher median earnings for all workers was ranked higher. To improve relevance, cities were further grouped into the following cohorts based on population size: small (100,000–149,999), midsize (150,000-349,999), and large (350,000 or more).

Here are the top-paying large U.S. cities with low population densities.

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Roofstock’s website: https://learn.roofstock.com/blog/best-paying-low-density-cities

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The Fastest-Growing Cities in the U.S.

Recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that population growth in the U.S. has reached its lowest level since 1937 despite recent gains in immigration. The long-term downward trend is the result of a declining birth rate and increased deaths, especially among America’s aging white population.

While population growth has slowed at the national level, population changes at the state and city level vary widely. Between 2017 and 2018, all but nine states saw their populations rise. Texas, Florida, California, and Arizona experienced the largest absolute population increases. At the other end of the spectrum, New York, Illinois, West Virginia, and Louisiana experienced the largest absolute population decreases, largely as a result of residents moving out-of-state.

While Texas, Florida, and Arizona also lead the country in net domestic migration (people moving in from other states), California ranks second only to New York for having the most people leaving the state. New Jersey and Illinois are also prominent among the long list of states losing swaths of residents to other states.

In order to determine the fastest-growing U.S. cities, researchers at 360 Quote analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau over a five-year period. Population growth was measured as the percentage increase or decrease in the population from 2013 to 2018. Researchers also calculated population changes by education level, age, and race/ethnicity to provide additional insight into the evolving demographics of each city.

Here are the fastest-growing large U.S. cities:

The results for small and midsize cities, as well as a detailed methodology for the analysis, can be found in the original report here: https://www.carinsurancecompanies.com/fastest-growing-cities/