The figures come from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Urban Research & Land Development’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Statistics Canada population estimates as of July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.
Toronto is the Fastest-Growing City in Canada and the U.S.
Below, we show the top cities in the Canada and the U.S. in terms of population growth between July 2022 and July 2023.
| Rank | City | Country | 2023 Population Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto, Ontario |  Canada |
+125,756 |
| 2 | Calgary, Alberta | Canada |
+86,547 |
| 3 | Montreal, Quebec | Canada |
+81,152 |
| 4 | Edmonton, Alberta | Canada |
+55,050 |
| 5 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Canada |
+30,514 |
| 6 | Ottawa, Ontario | Canada |
+30,468 |
| 7 | Vancouver, B.C. | Canada |
+26,570 |
| 8 | San Antonio, Texas |  U.S. |
+21,970 |
| 9 | Fort Worth, Texas | U.S. |
+21,365 |
| 10 | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Canada |
+19,226 |
Eight of the top 10 fastest-growing cities were in Canada. Only two U.S. cities in Texas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, made the top 10.
Cities with the Largest Population Losses
| Rank | City | Country | 2023 Population Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, New York | U.S. |
-77,763 |
| 2 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | U.S. |
-16,294 |
| 3 | Chicago, Illinois | U.S. |
-8,208 |
| 4 | New Orleans, Louisiana | U.S. |
-5,781 |
| 5 | St. Louis, Missouri | U.S. |
-4,439 |
| 6 | Portland, Oregon | U.S. |
-4,170 |
| 7 | Baltimore, Maryland | U.S. |
-3,868 |
| 8 | San Jose, California | U.S. |
-2,427 |
| 9 | Los Angeles, California | U.S. |
-1,868 |
In terms of the highest population loss, major U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, all experienced significant population decreases in 2023.
The trend was similar statewide: around half a million people left the state of New York in 2022, largely due to high cost of living, according to USA Today.
Not a single large central city in Canada saw a net population loss in 2023.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that this analysis considers central cities only (i.e. not surrounding suburbs in a metropolitan area). If looking at metro area growth, Toronto and Canadian cities still reign supreme, but cities like Orlanda, Tampa, and Atlanta also make an appearance in the bottom half of the top 10.
Source: Visual Capitalist
