Population up, Philadelphia still No. 6, Census says

While other northern cities saw population declines, Philadelphia's population inched upward last year, rising by 7,000 to 1,547,297, according to 2009 U.S. Census figures released Tuesday.

That was the sixth straight year of gains for the city, helping it remain the nation's sixth most populous city, the report said.

The Top 5, in decreasing order: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix, which overtook Philadelphia in 2006.

Projections from early in the decade showed Philadelphia with yearly population declines, but a turnaround began in 2004. The biggest jumps took place from 2006 to 2008, with yearly increases of 10,000 residents.

Among the report highlights:

-- Cleveland had the biggest numerical drop: 2,658 residents, or nearly 1 percent. Other top decliners were Detroit; Flint, Mich.; Baltimore; Buffalo; Pittsburgh; and two Florida cities on the Gulf Coast, Cape Coral and St. Petersburg.

-- Texas had four of the 10 fastest-growing cities in 2009: Frisco, McKinney, Round Rock and Lewisville. Frisco, a Dallas suburb, was tops in the country, rising by 6.2 percent to 102,412 people.

The numbers are part of a larger release of statistics about cities and towns nationwide. These are the final projections that will be based upon the 2000 Census. The 2010 Census counts will be released in early 2011.

The report looked at cities as defined by their incorporated areas, using local records concerning births, deaths, taxes and people moving, as well as Census data on immigrants.