
These Iowa-South Dakota Border Towns Are Shrinking Fast
There is plenty of evidence all around us that the United States is continuing to grow. The latest figures show a population increase of more than five million people (up 2.7%) from 2016 to 2021.
But not everyone is in on the influx of new people.
24/7 Wall St., after reviewing population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey and employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has compiled a list of the fastest shrinking cities in America.

One area along the Iowa-South Dakota made the list.
The Sioux City, IA - North Sioux City, South Dakota - South Sioux City, Nebraska region lost 18,547 people from 2016-2021, which equaled 11 percent of the area's population
Despite the exodus of people, the employment numbers in the area remained about the same, actually growing slightly (+0.2%).
The trio of Sioux Cities is one of six areas in the United States to lose more than ten percent of its population in that five-year span.
AMERICA'S FASTEST SHRINKING CITIES (2016-2021)
- Kalamazoo-Portage, Michigan: -22.5%
- Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma: -11.9%
- Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana: -11.9%
- Sioux City, Iowa, South Sioux City, Nebraska, North Sioux City, South Dakota: -11.0%
- Grand Island, Nebraska: -11.0%
- Panama City, Florida: -10.8%