May 28, 2013 2 min read

PITTSBURGH – It’s hardly a boom, but the population of six major Pennsylvania cities increased modestly between 2010 and 2012, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Last week, the Census Bureau released a list of population trends in 729 U.S. cities with populations over 50,000, from those with the strongest population growth to the weakest.

Philadelphia had the strongest growth in Pennsylvania, at 1.4 percent, or just over 21,600 people.

That put Philadelphia at No. 472 on the growth list nationally. Cedar Park, Texas, was first with a growth rate of 12 percent, and four out of the top five spots went to Texas cities. Youngstown, Ohio, was last on the national list, with a loss of 2.4 percent.

In Pennsylvania, Allentown grew by 942 people, Pittsburgh by 509, Bethlehem by 121, Lancaster by 38 and Reading by 22.

Erie showed the largest decline of any Pennsylvania city, with a loss of 739 people, and Scranton declined by 280.

The census report is based on population changes from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2012, and it also included trends for boroughs and townships.

According to the Pennsylvania State Data Center in Harrisburg, townships accounted for most of the growth in the state during the two-year period, at just over 45,000 people. Total growth in cities was just over 17,000, while boroughs declined by about 1,400 people.

The Data Center said that 56 percent of Pennsylvanians live in townships and about 24 percent live in cities.