Census: Small US Cities Lose Luster In Downturn

BY HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's small cities are losing some of their traditional appeal to upwardly mobile families seeking wholesome neighborhoods, a stable economy and affordable living.

A review of newly released census data shows, for example, that smaller cities of between 20,000 and 50,000 residents have lagged behind their larger counterparts in attracting higher-educated residents in this decade. The smaller locales include remote towns, inner suburbs, the distant suburbs known as "exurbs" and other distinct areas.

In 2000, the smaller cities ranked at the top in the share of people with college diplomas. They slipped to No. 2 last year with 30 percent holding degrees — in between medium-sized cities, which had 31 percent, and big cities, at 29.8 percent.

Poverty is growing in the small cities, fueled partly by population growth, although average median income of $60,294 in those communities is still higher than other places.

Small cities looking more and more like bigger cities over the decade ranged from places like Hobart, Ind., and Mount Pleasant, Mich., to Anniston, Ala., and Greenville, Miss. Compared with previous years, they had smaller incomes, higher housing costs, longer commutes, more poverty and more single-parent families.