Columbus grows again in 2023, according to new Census data, but by how much?
Columbus grew once again in 2023, according to U.S. Census data, marking another year of growth for one of the nation's largest cities.
According to U.S. Census data, the population of Columbus grew in 2023 from 908,238 the year prior to 913,175 — a growth of just over a half a percent. That also reflects a nearly 1% growth in population from the 2020 Census base population of 905,939 residents.
Columbus remains the 14th largest U.S. city behind San Jose, California, (13) and Fort Worth, Texas (12).
Columbus metro fastest-growing in Ohio
While the population of Ohio continues to shrink and most Ohio metro areas continue to shed residents, the 10-county Columbus metropolitan area grew by 18,205 residents to 2,180,271 as of July 1 of last year, The Dispatch previously reported, reflecting the biggest jump since 2019 to 2020.
In Columbus — Ohio’s fastest-growing metro area — international immigrants accounted for more than half of the population growth over the three years, The Dispatch has reported.
While the metro area grew by 1.79% from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023, the figure leads Ohio and is above the national average of 1.02%, but it's nowhere near the top of U.S. metro areas in terms of growth.
Dave Dixon, a data analyst for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), said that the regional planning council anticipates the metro area to grow by about 1% a year, with the leaders in growth coming from Delaware County and suburban Franklin County.
MORPC expects a population of 3.1 million in the Columbus metropolitan area by 2050, Dixon said.
"We do have that net in migration of people moving to the area, and that is from other places around the state of Ohio, around the country — and around the world," Dixon said. "And as we look ahead, in our projections, we see more of the growth coming from immigration than it did in past decades."
Athens, Ohio among fastest-growing communities in the United States
While Columbus may not have made the top 15 fastest growing communities list on a recent U.S. Census ranking, another Ohio community did.
Athens, a city of over 20,000 located an hour southeast of Columbus and home to Ohio University, was named by the U.S. Census as the 15th-fastest growing city in the U.S. with 8.6% growth to 24,673 residents from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023.
@Colebehr_report