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The Census Bureau is releasing some 2010 population numbers today, and that means it’s time for the customary Decennial Non-Celebration in the city of St. Louis.
AP is reporting that the newest numbers will show a population of 319,294—reflecting a loss of 29,000 in the city limits since the 2000 census (see interactive data map below). That’s a whopping 8 percent decline.
The “absolutely bad news” had Mayor Francis Slay somberly calling for “an urgent and thorough rethinking of how we do almost everything.”
The decline was a little less in St. Louis County – a 1.7 percent drop to 998,954 from the 2000 total of 1,016,315 people counted in 2000. But even with the smaller decline, it can’t be good for the county to drop officially from the ranks of “counties over 1 million.”
Worse yet, they’re smiling on the other side of the state, as that urban behemoth Kansas City “added to its distinction as the largest city in Missouri,” (the Kansas City Star crowed proudly). Kansas City added 18,000 residents since 2000 (presumably not all refugees from St. Louis), bringing its population to 459,787.
Kansas City celebrants happily overlook the fact that St. Louis’ city population numbers are artificially diminished by the brilliant post-Civil War decision to freeze the borders to keep farmers out. St. Louis still pays dearly for that choice in the form of apples-to-oranges comparisons of our inner urban core with other “cities” whose borders include the counterparts of Clayton, Webster Groves, University City and so on.
St. Louis is hardly the mightiest metropolitan area around, but it remains about 40 percent larger than Kansas City in real-world SMSA terms, so it adds insult to census injury to endure “we’re bigger than you” trash talk from our actually smaller neighbors to the west.
And it’s not just about the talk. Missouri is losing a congressional seat thanks to this census, so instead of having 10 districts of roughly 575,000, it will have nine districts of 675,000 or so. With St. Louis city and county declining, Kansas City rising slightly and big growth in southwest Missouri, all signs bode to bad news for area politicians when the state legislature convenes a game of congressional musical chairs shortly.
Missouri’s legislature is overwhelmingly Republican—and there’s nothing more purely partisan than congressional redistricting in any state, no matter which party is in power—so the Democrats are presently looking a little bit like deer in the highlights. Or maybe they’re just looking like deer in Town and Country.
They’re about to be in season.
SLM co-owner Ray Hartmann is a panelist on KETC Channel 9’s Donnybrook, which airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Data provided by U.S. Census Bureau:
