Greater Boston added approximately 75,000 residents over the past two years, good enough to retain the region's rank as the 10th-largest metropolitan area in the country. But other Massachusetts metros were not as fortunate.
That's according to a new analysis by Bizjournals.com, the parent of the Boston Business Journal, which compiled more than a decade's worth of demographic data to project the current populations and population growth of states, metropolitan areas, counties and cities.
In the Bay State, the Boston-area was by far the fastest growing area in the state, expanding by 1.7 percent during the last two years to 4.6 million residents today. By comparison, the Worcester area has grown by around 7,000 residents, or less than 1 percent, to approximately 805,598 residents (ranked 68th nationally, versus 67th in 2010), according to the Bizjournals analysis.
Among the other major Massachusetts metros included in the study, Springfield added around 1,000 residents, a minuscule expansion that brought its total population to 694,023 people, the 78th largest headcount in the country (down from 76th in 2010). Meanwhile, Barnstable shed around 800 residents, bringing its total population to 215,085 (ranked 201st, versus 197th in 2010).
In terms of national population rank, Provo, Utah, was the only major metro that climbed more than three places since 2010. Other major movers included Charleston, S.C. (from 79th place in the federal census to 76th now); Colorado Springs (from 82nd to 79th); El Paso (from 66th to 63rd); and Ogden, Utah (from 94th to 91st).
The following database contains Dec. 1 population estimates for all 942 metropolitan and micropolitan areas, including the 102 major metros. Click a column title to sort the data by region, rank or total population.