Akron lost 1,382 people last year

Akron lost 1,382 people within the past year. Since 2000, the city has lost 4.2 percent of its population and has had one of the biggest percentage drops among major cities in the nation. Only 14 cities — including Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo — rank worse.

Akron's population now is 207,934, down from 217,074 in the 2000 census.

Cleveland had the largest population decline among the nation's big cities in the past year and the second-worst percentage drop since 2000, trailing only Hurricane Katrina-devastated New Orleans. Among Ohio's six biggest cities, only Columbus and Cincinnati managed increases since 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in population estimates released today.

Cleveland's population dipped 11 percent from 443,109 in 2006 to 438,042 last year, the biggest numerical drop among big U.S. cities, the Census Bureau said. The city's 8.3 percent drop from 2000's 477,472 was the second greatest rate of decline in the nation, behind only New Orleans.

From 2006 to 2007, Columbus rose 0.6 percent to 747,755 and Cincinnati was up 0.2 percent to 332,458. Ohio's other big cities were population losers: Akron down 0.7 percent, Dayton 0.8 percent and Toledo 0.9 percent.

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Download a chart in PDF format which lists cities and townships in five-county area.