U.S. Cities ranked by daytime population percentage increase

[Bartholomew]

Daytime Population Change Census 2000

For city proper ranked by percentage increase in daytime population due to commuting for those cities over 100,000 with a minimum 10% daytime population increase.

Daytime Population Increase; Percentage Increase; City

105,637 73.8 Irvine city, CA

131,180 72.2 Salt Lake City city, UT

410,794 71.8 Washington city, DC

131,501 70.7 Orlando city, FL

64,448 63.0 Santa Clara city, CA

259,957 62.4 Atlanta city, GA

115,806 62.2 Paradise CDP, NV

68,219 58.7 Columbia city, SC

59,174 58.4 Cambridge city, MA

65,860 54.2 Hartford city, CT

80,131 52.6 Fort Lauderdale city, FL

80,341 51.6 Chattanooga city, TN

144,051 47.5 Tampa city, FL

80,035 46.0 Knoxville city, TN

138,191 41.3 Pittsburgh city, PA

242,092 41.1 Boston city, MA

43,850 40.0 Bellevue city, WA

59,078 39.0 Springfield city, MO

59,768 37.7 Tempe city, AZ

135,066 37.3 Miami city, FL

36,376 36.3 Burbank city, CA

65,895 36.0 Little Rock city, AR

87,309 36.0 Birmingham city, AL

77,466 35.2 Rochester city, NY

122,234 35.1 St. Louis city, MO

68,079 34.4 Richmond city, VA

34,512 34.3 Livonia city, MI

80,342 31.4 Louisville city, KY

102,720 31.0 Cincinnati city, OH

160,043 28.4 Seattle city, WA

155,486 28.0 Denver city, CO

93,305 25.1 Honolulu CDP, HI

69,193 25.1 Raleigh city, NC

95,476 25.0 Minneapolis city, MN

100,933 24.8 Sacramento city, CA

114,840 24.0 Cleveland city, OH

101,966 23.1 Kansas City city, MO

121,743 23.0 Portland city, OR

59,675 21.8 Newark city, NJ

168,747 21.7 San Francisco city, CA

114,655 21.2 Charlotte city, NC

403,313 20.6 Houston city, TX

76,558 19.6 Omaha city, NE

106,202 19.5 Nashville-Davidson (balance), TN

127,328 19.4 Austin city, TX

227,555 19.1 Dallas city, TX

74,836 19.0 Tulsa city, OK

94,645 18.7 Oklahoma City city, OK

47,605 16.3 Buffalo city, NY

102,743 15.8 Memphis city, TN

121,962 15.6 Indianapolis city (balance), IN

41,497 14.5 St. Paul city, MN

92,625 14.2 Baltimore city, MD

74,826 14.0 Fort Worth city, TX

59,804 12.3 New Orleans city, LA

30,335 11.6 Lexington-Fayette, KY

141,927 11.6 San Diego city, CA

82,520 11.6 Columbus city, OH

[EastSideResider]

I have no idea what this means! (sorry, it takes me a while)

[Bartholomew]

I have no idea what this means! (sorry, it takes me a while)

The first figure represents the daytime net numerical population increase for the city proper including workers commuting into and out of the city . The second figure represents the percentage increase in daytime population for the city proper.

[LItoCT]

Not surprised to see Hartford pretty far up there.

[ironchapman]

Atlanta's got the second highest percent daytime population increase of any major US city (it's right behind Washington DC)

Thanks for the list, Bartholomew! Very interesting!

[Bartholomew]

Cities ranked by net daytime population gain in raw numbers for selected cities.

563,060 New York city, NY

410,794 Washington city, DC

403,313 Houston city, TX

259,957 Atlanta city, GA

242,092 Boston city, MA

227,555 Dallas city, TX

168,747 San Francisco city, CA

160,043 Seattle city, WA

155,486 Denver city, CO

144,051 Tampa city, FL

142,328 Chicago city, IL

141,927 San Diego city, CA

138,191 Pittsburgh city, PA

135,066 Miami city, FL

131,501 Orlando city, FL

131,180 Salt Lake City city, UT

127,877 Los Angeles city, CA

127,328 Austin city, TX

122,234 St. Louis city, MO

121,962 Indianapolis city (balance), IN

121,743 Portland city, OR

115,806 Paradise CDP, NV

114,840 Cleveland city, OH

114,655 Charlotte city, NC

106,202 Nashville-Davidson (balance), TN

105,637 Irvine city, CA

102,743 Memphis city, TN

102,720 Cincinnati city, OH

101,966 Kansas City city, MO

100,933 Sacramento city, CA

96,120 Phoenix city, AZ

95,476 Minneapolis city, MN

94,645 Oklahoma City city, OK

93,305 Honolulu CDP, HI

92,625 Baltimore city, MD

90,230 Philadelphia city, PA

87,309 Birmingham city, AL

82,520 Columbus city, OH

80,342 Louisville city, KY

80,341 Chattanooga city, TN

80,131 Fort Lauderdale city, FL

80,035 Knoxville city, TN

77,466 Rochester city, NY

76,558 Omaha city, NE

74,836 Tulsa city, OK

74,826 Fort Worth city, TX

69,193 Raleigh city, NC

68,219 Columbia city, SC

68,079 Richmond city, VA

67,989 San Antonio city, TX

65,895 Little Rock city, AR

65,860 Hartford city, CT

64,448 Santa Clara city, CA

62,223 Jacksonville city, FL

59,804 New Orleans city, LA

59,768 Tempe city, AZ

59,675 Newark city, NJ

59,174 Cambridge city, MA

59,078 Springfield city, MO

47,605 Buffalo city, NY

43,850 Bellevue city, WA

43,454 Tucson city, AZ

41,497 St. Paul city, MN

37,689 Albuquerque city, NM

36,376 Burbank city, CA

35,864 Milwaukee city, WI

34,512 Livonia city, MI

31,387 Fresno city, CA

30,335 Lexington-Fayette, KY

24,288 Anaheim city, CA

21,013 Colorado Springs city, CO

18,347 Santa Ana city, CA

18,233 Wichita city, KS

15,840 Toledo city, OH

11,643 Riverside city, CA

11,117 Las Vegas city, NV

10,964 Oakland city, CA

7,779 Corpus Christi city, TX

7,018 El Paso city, TX

5,246 Anchorage municipality, AK

-659 Detroit city, MI

-16,394 Long Beach city, CA

-39,319 Mesa city, AZ

-41,550 Arlington city, TX

-49,031 Virginia Beach city, VA

-50,069 San Jose city, CA

-50,827 Aurora city, CO

[Hybrid0NE]

My hometowns are both in the Top 10 . (Columbia, SC and Atlanta)

[Allan]

Detroit is in a very interesting position, as it is one of only two large cities to loose people during the day. There are only 345,000 jobs in the city, so most people commute out to the suburbs. In some ways the city has become a bedroom community. Many of the suburbs' populations swell during the day. In fact, while there are only 345,000 jobs in the city itself, there are 899,000 jobs in the suburbs. Ahh, the joys of living in the most decentralized metro area in the country....

[NCB]

Very interesting info, thanks for puting the list together, Bartholomew!

[Trae]

Atlanta's got the second highest percent daytime population increase of any major US city (it's right behind Washington DC)

Thanks for the list, Bartholomew! Very interesting!

No it doesn't.

Nice list by the way Bartholomew.

[ironchapman]

No it doesn't.

Nice list by the way Bartholomew.

Care to elaborate? Just curious.

I was thinking more along the lines of cities that have more than 250,000 in their city limits.

Here's where I got the info I said in my post from.

[Trae]

Oh, sorry about that then. I was looking at the numbers, not percentages.

[AvianKeahi]

These are interesting statistics. Does this mean that the cities at the top of the list are really suffering from suburban sprawl that tends to suck the lifeblood of the core city? ( Hey, I'm just being dramatic here!)

Devil's advocate here with even more provocative questions...

If the core city grows that much during the day, does it mean it's an empty wasteland at night?

How do these figure affect the livability or vitality of a city 24/7?

How many of these daily commuters are riding into town with gas-guzzling Hummers - one to a car?

Do the statistics imply that "real life" is happening in the suburbs, with happy children playing basketball in Mom and Dad's driveway?

Does it mean that nighttime businesses like Pizza parlors and night clubs are praying for customers to keep them afloat?

Disclaimer: I really wonder about the figures and their implications for city life. I am not insinuating that these numbers are either good or bad. I just want to know how relevant they are and what the implications are for city life.

[monsoon]

Indeed. I would think it would be better to be lower on the list than higher. High population shifts would seem to indicate that sprawl is a problem.

[teshadoh]

More accurately a greater success of annexing by the municipality. Especially when reviewing the bottom - several of these are merged city-county governments or at least the largest municipalities in area. 'Sprawl' is not indicative of abstract municipal jurisdictions, sprawl can occur in the city limits for that matter.

[Bartholomew]

Indeed. I would think it would be better to be lower on the list than higher. High population shifts would seem to indicate that sprawl is a problem.

I think a lot of it has to do with the physical size of the city i.e. land area. The cities at the top of the list are all major employment centers but are relatively small cities which is why they are within easy commuting distance from surrounding cities and towns.

Hartford, Cambridge, and Salt Lake City, and Fort Lauderdale are examples of relatively small city propers with large metro areas.

[TheBostonian]

I think a lot of it has to do with the physical size of the city i.e. land area. The cities at the top of the list are all major employment centers but are relatively small cities which is why they are within easy commuting distance from surrounding cities and towns.

Hartford, Cambridge, and Salt Lake City, and Fort Lauderdale are examples of relatively small city propers with large metro areas.

Atlanta would be an exception at 132 sq. miles. And Cambridge is pretty much part of the core of the Boston metro. It is hard to look at it separately.

[Bartholomew]

Atlanta would be an exception at 132 sq. miles. And Cambridge is pretty much part of the core of the Boston metro. It is hard to look at it separately.

Atlanta somewhat fits the category considering the metro area is 10 times the population of the city proper. Many communities surrounding Atlanta are within commuting distance especially since Atlanta contains several separate employment centers (i.e Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, etc.)

[ironchapman]

Here are my theories about the population influxes:

1. Some of these cities' large daytime influxes can be attributed to the city and the sive of the metro alone (I'm thinking places like LA, Chicago, and New York)

2. Some may be the only economic centers n their part of the state or region even (I.e. Denver and Salt Lake City)