Thursday, June 15, 2023

Disappearing cities of the United States: Johnstown, Pennsylvania (2022 census update)


The population of Johnstown, the largest city in Cambria County, has decreased 73% since its 1910 peak.  It now has fewer residents than it did in 1890.


Tribune-Democrat, 12/11/2021
There were 18,411 residents recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census. A recent count showed that 2,613 people were in the Johnstown Housing Authority’s public units, while 883 elsewhere in town were using the Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8, for a total of nearly 3,500 as of Nov. 30. 
The number of individuals residing in JHA properties remains relatively steady. As the city’s overall population continues to decline, however, the number of people living in public housing or Section 8 grows as a percentage, which affects the overall poverty rate. 
Johnstown’s poverty rate was 34.3% between 2009 and 2013, according to Census data. It now stands at about 38.5%. [emphasis added]

No surprise that Trump's MAGA message resonated here in Cambria County.

Source:  Wikipedia



1/17/2022 update starts here

What used to fuel Johnstown's economy.  The city's last steel mill closed in 1992.

Johnstown's population decreased 12% during 2010 and 2020.  Since its 1920 peak, the city's population decreased 73%.


Bradford Era (11/4/2021)
Economic opportunity -- or lack thereof -- can be a major factor that causes people to relocate. Most of the fastest shrinking counties in every state have an unemployment rate and a poverty rate greater than or equal to that of the state itself. Other factors, like prevalence of violent crime, lack of recreational activities, and other less desirable qualities can also be factors that cause residents to leave an area in droves. 
The fastest shrinking county in Pennsylvania is Cambria County. The county's population declined by 10.5% from 2010 to 2020. The population of Pennsylvania overall increased by 0.6% during that same time period, and the U.S. population increased by 6.7%. 
Cambria County's population declined by 15,021 people during the decade, from 143,693 in 2010 to 128,672 in 2020. This is due in part to negative net migration as 9,554 more people moved away from the county than moved to it during that decade.
Johnstown is located in Cambria County,


Original 1/6/2019 post starts here


Fewer people live in Johnstown today than in the '90s.  The 1890s.

Source:  Wikipedia

Johnstown's population peaked at 67,327 in 1920.  Its 2017 estimated population is 20,894 -- a drop of 46,433, or 70%.

Source:  Wikipedia






Johnstown in located in Cambria County, where the population peaked at 213,549 in 1940.  Its 2017 estimated population is 133,054, a drop of 38%.  Greetings from Trump's America.

Related reading:
In Towns Already Hit by Steel Mill Closings, a New Casualty: Retail Jobs.  (The New York Times, 6/25/2017)
This city is perhaps still best known for a flood that ravaged it nearly 130 years ago. After rebuilding, Johnstown eventually became prosperous from its steel and offered a clear path to the middle class. For generations, people could walk out of high school and into a steady factory job. 
But today, the area bears the marks of a struggling town. Its population has dwindled, and addiction treatment centers and Dollar Generals stand in place of corner grocers and department stores like Glosser Brothers, once owned by the family of Stephen Miller, President Trump’s speechwriter and a policy adviser.

The disappearing cities:
Baltimore, Maryland.  (12/31/2018)
Cairo, Illinois.   (1/5/2019)
Cleveland, Ohio (1/2/2018)
Detroit, Michigan.  (1/1/2019)
Gary, Indiana.  (1/4/2019)
St. Louis, Missouri.  (1/2/2019)

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