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ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Census Bureau published today its Vintage 2024 Population Estimates, which show the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area gaining 6,420 new residents, the region’s largest increase since 2010. Greater St. Louis, Inc. interim CEO Dustin Allison issued the following statement regarding the data:
“That the region saw a year-over-year growth in population, however modest, is certainly welcome news after years of decline and stagnation. Coupled with recent positive economic indicators, these population numbers show that St. Louis is on the verge of a resurgence.
“While the overall numbers are positive, the data also show that we have much more work to do to get the region on a trajectory for sustained, long-term growth. For example, much of the growth we see in this data results from international migration to the region. We need to continue our successful efforts to grow our international population, but if we are going to achieve the type of long-term growth our region needs, we must also continue to focus on advancing policies, increasing economic investment, and growing the number of high-quality jobs necessary to attract people from other areas of the country.
“St. Louis is the best region in the country, and part of the reason why is because we never shy away from taking on big issues and facing our challenges head on. We work every day to get St. Louis growing again and want to make sure our region’s elected and civic leaders know that Greater St. Louis, Inc. stands ready to partner with them to collaborate on pro-growth policies and initiatives that will help the St. Louis region keep growing so that we can win this decade.”
Recent Positive Economic Indicators:
- The St. Louis region had the nation’s highest rate of per capita personal income growth over the past five years.
- St. Louis ranked as one of the top five U.S. markets for job growth for the first time since 1990.
- At 2.5%, the region’s GDP exceeded the growth target of 2.0% set by STL 2030 Progress, which set forth regional goals for inclusive economic growth (GDP is for 2023, the latest full year of data available).
- The St. Louis region ranked 15th out of the nation’s top 30 metro areas for GDP growth in 2023, outperforming peer metro areas including Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, and others.
Media Contact: Tony Wyche | 314-398-9991 | Tony@GreaterSTLInc.com