New, federal population totals released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week showed 17 larger cities in Alabama lost people over the last decade.
And three of the state’s largest cities are included in that list. Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery all lost significant amounts of people, but they weren’t the fastest shrinking.
That distinction went to Atmore, a city in Escambia County in South Alabama. Among cities that were home to at least 10,000 residents at the last full Census count in 2010, Atmore shrank the fastest, losing 18% of its total population by 2020.
Here’s the rest of the list:
Alabama’s fastest shrinking cities (2010-2020)
Among cities with at least 10,000 people in 2010.
Page 1 of 2
| City | 2010 Census | 2020 Census | Change 2010-2020 | Percent change | |
| 1 | Atmore | 10,194 | 8,391 | −1,803 | −18% |
| 2 | Prichard | 22,659 | 19,322 | −3,337 | −15% |
| 3 | Selma | 20,756 | 17,971 | −2,785 | −13% |
| 4 | Fairfield | 11,117 | 10,000 | −1,117 | −10% |
| 5 | Gadsden | 36,856 | 33,945 | −2,911 | −8% |
| 6 | Anniston | 23,106 | 21,564 | −1,542 | −7% |
| 7 | Pleasant Grove | 10,110 | 9,544 | −566 | −6% |
| 8 | Birmingham | 212,237 | 200,733 | −11,504 | −5% |
| 9 | Bessemer | 27,456 | 26,019 | −1,437 | −5% |
| 10 | Mobile | 195,111 | 187,041 | −8,070 | −4% |
Table: Ramsey Archibald Source: U.S. Census Bureau Get the data Created with Datawrapper
Alabama’s fastest shrinking cities (2010-2020)
Among cities with at least 10,000 people in 2010.
Page 2 of 2
| City | 2010 Census | 2020 Census | Change 2010-2020 | Percent change | |
| 11 | Ozark | 14,907 | 14,368 | −539 | −4% |
| 12 | Center Point | 16,921 | 16,406 | −515 | −3% |
| 13 | Montgomery | 205,764 | 200,603 | −5,161 | −3% |
| 14 | Eufaula | 13,137 | 12,882 | −255 | −2% |
| 15 | Troy | 18,033 | 17,727 | −306 | −2% |
| 16 | Sylacauga | 12,749 | 12,578 | −171 | −1% |
| 17 | Alexander City | 14,875 | 14,843 | −32 | 0% |
Table: Ramsey Archibald Source: U.S. Census Bureau Get the data Created with Datawrapper
Atmore’s population fell below 10,000 by 2020. It’s now home to fewer than 8,400 people.
Prichard, in Mobile County, was second on the list, losing 15% of its population and bringing its total population just below 20,000.
Selma, the historic Civil Rights city in fast-shrinking Dallas County, and Fairfield, in the Birmingham Metro, were the only other cities to lose at least 10% of their populations in the last decade.
Birmingham, which was long the biggest city in the state, lost 11,500 people since 2010, the biggest total loss of any city, and roughly 5% of its total population. It was passed by rapidly growing Huntsville as the largest city in the state, and nearly fell fast enough to sink below Montgomery for third place on the state’s list of most populous cities.
But Montgomery shrank significantly, too, losing nearly 5,200 people, or around 3% of its population. Montgomery and Birmingham are now nearly tied in total population, with Birmingham sitting at 200,700 people and Montgomery at 200,600.
Mobile lost about 8,100 people, or 4%. Of the state’s “Big Four” cities, Huntsville is the only one that actually grew over the last decade.