A new report from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama found that several cities across Alabama have stalled in population growth.
According to the group, in 2024, Birmingham, which used to be the state’s largest city, dropped to third place. Huntsville and Mobile have seen population increases.
The report says Mobile’s recent population growth came from annexations of neighborhoods within the county in 2023, which pushed the city’s numbers from less than 190,000 in 2020 to nearly 210,000 residents. However, the council reported even with the annexation, Mobile managed to lose 500 residents over the last year.
“The latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau reflects a trend we anticipated: continued population decline in some of the city’s older neighborhoods, despite the gains made through our successful annexation in 2023,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson wrote in an email.
Stimpson said Mobile’s population decline can likely be attributed to the age of the housing stock and lack of large areas for new development and urban blight.
“We are continuing to make historic investments in affordable housing and blight remediation, but we know these issues don’t turn around overnight and require sustained focus and investment from the public and private sectors,” he said in the statement.
The council found that Birmingham’s population fell by over 29,000 residents from 2023 to 2024, while Montgomery’s dropped by only 289 residents in the same time frame. Steven L. Reed, mayor of Montgomery, said in a statement that the data doesn’t reflect the reality of the city.
“While the report notes a population decline, we’re not fully confident in the accuracy of those numbers and are actively exploring the possibility of a mid-decade census count to get a clearer picture of Montgomery’s population,” the mayor said.
Reed said Montgomery has announced business expansions and new developments that have brought jobs and investment to the city. He added that Montgomery has also approved thousands of housing units and new houses in the city, showcasing the “growing demand and confidence in our community’s future.”
“We remain focused on building a Montgomery that attracts new residents and retains existing ones. From public safety and education to infrastructure and innovation, we are laying the foundation for sustained growth and opportunity. We’re confident in the progress we’re making today,” Reed said.
Other areas saw growth. According to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, Brookside, a town in Jefferson County, grew by 13% from 2023 to 2024, the largest of any city or town in the state. This comes as a new neighborhood is being built in the town.
Huntsville, Foley, Madison and Athens all saw population increases in 2024 making them the top four cities in Alabama to bring in the most new residents by numbers.
Huntsville added 4,100 new residents last year, and the neighboring city of Madison and Foley in Baldwin County added just over 3,000 residents to their population. Athens, which borders Huntsville, added just over 1,600 residents to their city.
Read more at AlabamaReflector.com.