More Than 35,000 People Left Baltimore City In The Last Decade

By Christina Sturdivant Sani ● Economy ● August 18, 2021

Baltimore’s mayor attributes much of the decline to an exodus of Black residents. Photo by Elvert Barnes via Flickr.

What’s happening?

More than 35,000 residents vacated Baltimore City in the last decade, according to recently released U.S. Census data. This 5.7% population decrease brought the city’s population to 585,708 people in 2020.

Data also showed that in 2019, the city’s population dipped below 600,000 for the first time in more than a century.

How did this happen?

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott attributes much of the decline to Black residents fleeing the city (not to mention white flight) over the past century. The mayor said key ingredients to attracting new residents include implementing plans to reduce crime, increase affordable rental and homeownership opportunities, support marginalized entrepreneurs, and improve the local transit system.

Anything else I should know?

Population growth will bring in more tax revenue and federal assistance to the city.

You can read more here.

Author

Christina Sturdivant Sani

Christina Sturdivant Sani is a writer and editor who has contributed to nearly two dozen publications including Washington Post, the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, and Bloomberg’s CityLab.

At Bloc by Block News, Christina is responsible for setting and implementing the vision for the cooperative’s editorial initiatives. In this role, she’s intentional about amplifying the voices of people—both writers and subjects—who have historically been silenced by white-led media outlets.

Christina is also a podcast junkie, audiobook lover, coffee shop connoisseur, and proud Washington, D.C. native. She studied print journalism at Hampton University.

Author

Christina Sturdivant Sani

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