Philadelphia still the 6th-biggest U.S. city, but San Antonio catching up, census data shows

PHILADELPHIA — New federal estimates show Philadelphia remains the nation’s sixth most populous city despite a population decline during the pandemic.

But this week’s U.S. Census Bureau data also shows that San Antonio, Texas, could surpass Philadelphia in the coming years if trends continue.

The data shows that Philadelphia lost 3.3% of its population — about 53,000 residents — between April 2020 and July 2023, dropping the city’s total population to about 1,550,542.

San Antonio saw the largest numerical population growth of any city in the country in 2023, adding about 22,000 residents last year. The population now stands at 1,495,295, according to census estimates, or about 55,000 people behind Philadelphia.

The data also shows that Philadelphia isn’t the only major city where its population is shrinking. Nearly all comparable cities in the Northeast and Midwest also experienced losses, some of them much larger.

New York City experienced a 6.2% population decline during the pandemic’s peak years, while Boston and Baltimore’s population declines also exceeded Philly’s decline from 2020 to 2023. Some West Coast cities also shrank more than Philly, including San Francisco, which lost 7.4%. of population, and San Jose, California.

On the other hand, five of the country’s ten largest cities added population, mostly in the south and southwest.