According to Brookings Institution, Memphis is one of only six major cities that has lost population in seven of the eight years since 2012-13. The others are Detroit, St. Louis, Toledo, Baltimore, Anchorage, and Buffalo.
In those seven years, the total population lost for Memphis was 9,558.
U.S. population losses and population gains dramatically changed from 2012-2020. New York in 2012-13 had the largest increase in population – 49,492 – but by 2019-2010, it had the greatest loss in population – 89,712.
Phoenix moved to top the list in four of the last five years, and since 2012, it has gained 208,277 people.
In those eight years, San Antonio added 192,471; Fort Worth added 131,670; Seattle grew by 115,806; and Charlotte added 11,377.
Nashville was not in the top 10 cities with largest population gains in any of the years.
Cities with greatest loss of population:
| 2012-13 | |
| Detroit city | (8,303) |
| Memphis city #2 | (1,575) |
| St. Louis city | (910) |
| Toledo city | (821) |
| Baltimore city | (444) |
| El Paso city | (226) |
| Buffalo city | (125) |
| 2013-14 | |
| Detroit city | (9,240) |
| Memphis city #2 | (2,087) |
| Toledo city | (1,615) |
| Anchorage municipality | (1,154) |
| St. Louis city | (1,025) |
| Pittsburgh city | (926) |
| Cleveland city | (911) |
| Buffalo city | (454) |
| 2014-15 | |
| Detroit city | (3,184) |
| Chicago city | (2,794) |
| Anchorage municipality | (2,310) |
| Pittsburgh city | (1,856) |
| Cleveland city | (1,605) |
| Buffalo city | (1,372) |
| St. Louis city | (1,331) |
| El Paso city | (1,103) |
| Baltimore city | (1,002) |
| Memphis city #10 | (830) |
| Toledo city | (792) |
| Milwaukee city | (168) |
| 2015-16 | |
| Chicago city | (7,709) |
| Baltimore city | (6,289) |
| Milwaukee city | (3,428) |
| St. Louis city | (3,342) |
| Detroit city | (2,183) |
| Cleveland city | (1,639) |
| Memphis city #7 | (1,443) |
| Buffalo city | (1,321) |
| Toledo city | (976) |
| Long Beach city | (924) |
| Anchorage municipality | (265) |
| Santa Ana city | (138) |
| 2016-17 | |
| New York city | (31,259) |
| Chicago city | (5,841) |
| Baltimore city | (5,689) |
| St. Louis city | (4,502) |
| Pittsburgh city | (3,183) |
| Milwaukee city | (3,025) |
| Anchorage municipality | (2,954) |
| Cleveland city | (2,395) |
| Detroit city | (2,348) |
| Long Beach city | (2,219) |
| Toledo city | (2,188) |
| Honolulu CDP | (2,031) |
| Tulsa city | (1,909) |
| Memphis city#14 | (1,628) |
| Virginia Beach city | (1,093) |
| Buffalo city | (504) |
| Santa Ana city | (480) |
| New Orleans city | (446) |
| Wichita city | (253) |
| Corpus Christi city | (236) |
| 2017-18 | |
| New York city | (41,081) |
| Chicago city | (9,488) |
| Baltimore city | (7,612) |
| St. Louis city | (4,763) |
| Anchorage municipality | (3,741) |
| Long Beach city | (3,633) |
| Honolulu CDP | (2,605) |
| San Jose city | (2,205) |
| Milwaukee city | (2,193) |
| Cleveland city | (2,082) |
| Toledo city | (1,758) |
| Tulsa city | (1,429) |
| El Paso city | (1,426) |
| Detroit city | (1,373) |
| Santa Ana city | (1,281) |
| Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) | (1,186) |
| Pittsburgh city | (937) |
| Wichita city | (911) |
| Dallas city | (583) |
| Buffalo city | (531) |
| New Orleans city | (313) |
| Albuquerque city | (119) |
| Oakland city | (101) |
| 2018-19 | |
| New York city | (53,689) |
| Chicago city | (9,471) |
| Baltimore city | (8,640) |
| San Jose city | (8,349) |
| Long Beach city | (4,145) |
| Detroit city | (3,216) |
| St. Louis city | (2,774) |
| Anchorage municipality | (2,587) |
| Honolulu CDP | (2,399) |
| Cleveland city | (2,022) |
| Toledo city | (1,994) |
| Philadelphia city | (1,983) |
| Santa Ana city | (1,714) |
| Plano city | (1,607) |
| Jersey City city | (1,312) |
| Milwaukee city | (1,009) |
| San Francisco city | (850) |
| Memphis city #18 | (702) |
| Pittsburgh city | (613) |
| Buffalo city | (559) |
| Louisville/Jefferson Co | (507) |
| New Orleans city | (334) |
| 2019-20 | |
| New York city | (89,712) |
| Chicago city | (13,854) |
| San Jose city | (12,912) |
| Los Angeles city | (12,666) |
| San Francisco city | (12,220) |
| Baltimore city | (8,470) |
| Philadelphia city | (5,952) |
| Detroit city | (5,073) |
| Long Beach city | (3,806) |
| Honolulu CDP | (3,431) |
| St. Louis city | (3,242) |
| Boston city | (3,130) |
| Cleveland city | (2,797) |
| Milwaukee city | (1,885) |
| New Orleans city | (1,696) |
| Anchorage municipality | (1,695) |
| Toledo city | (1,646) |
| Memphis city #18 | (1,293) |
| St. Paul city | (990) |
| Buffalo city | (838) |
| Pittsburgh city | (830) |
| Newark city | (383) |
| Stockton city | (375) |
| Anaheim city | (330) |
| Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) | (152) |
| Arlington city | (66) |
| Jersey City city | (65) |
