What's driving the growth of US cities?

You might have been one of them: Many Americans packed up their city lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and opted to live in more affordable dwellings. Many people opted to try a new way of living or use savings to build a new home thanks to the lure of remote work. But this exodus cost U.S. cities, draining workers who spend valuable dollars on local economies and communities.

Nearly four years after the initial hit of the pandemic, American cities are starting to reverse course and a major factor is driving regrowth: immigration. New analysis released this week by the Brookings Institution found immigration is recouping pandemic-era losses in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, while in some cases – such as in San Francisco and Washington – turning into pre-pandemic-level gains.

U.S. cities are benefitting from the repopulation. Still, this demographic shift is occurring while immigration is in the political spotlight: Just this week, African immigrants rallied in New York last week for more protections and the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security was involved in fraught impeachment proceedings over the handling of the southwest border . A key question is whether the nation is ready to adapt to meet the concerns of one of its fastest-growing populations.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's driving the growth of US cities?