The City of Birmingham’s response to recent the recent 2020 Decennial Census data for Birmingham
“No one likes to see population decline, especially because of unprecedented deaths related to Covid,” says Birmingham Mayor Randall L Woodfin. “However, after decades of sharper population decline, I am proud of Birmingham’s job growth and I am optimistic about the population growth we anticipate over the next decade. I am committed to neighborhood revitalization that ensures current residents can attain high quality of life while also attracting new residents to support new jobs.”
“We continue to believe the 2020 Decennial Census undercounted the Birmingham population for a number of reasons; there is clear evidence that communities of color are often undercounted, and university students at the height of the pandemic were mostly off-campus. However, the 2022 population estimate is likely a fairly accurate estimate of Birmingham’s population changes since the Census, much of which is likely due to deaths resulting from COVID. Jefferson County has recorded 2,373 COVID deaths, more than any other in the state (Mobile County had 1,653, Madison County had 970, and Montgomery County had 951),” said Katrina Thomas, Director of Planning, Engineering and Permits for the City of Birmingham.
