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Seven cities by the numbers

Some cities are growing, others are seeing a decline in population, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. Census Bureau is giving us a better idea of how the region’s holding up when it comes to population size and growth.

The latest numbers just released show some good news and some not-so-great news depending on where people live.

From 2010 to 2018, three of the seven cities have seen a decrease in population.

Portsmouth is down 0.9 percent, Newport News is down 1.3 percent, and Hampton had the biggest decrease, down 2.2 percent in the last eight years.

The growing cities include Norfolk with a small bump, up 0.4 percent, Virginia Beach is up 2.6 percent, Suffolk saw a 7.5 percent population increase, and Chesapeake grew the most in the last decade, up 8.5 percent.

Norfolk, however, was the only city of those four not to grow from 2017 to 2018.

So why are these numbers important?

For starters, census data controls how many seats in the House of Representatives each state has.

By 2020, Texas, Florida, Colorado, and Oregon are all projected to gain seats. Illinois, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia are expected to lose seats.

Census numbers dictate how the federal government spends its money also.

Because of the Commonwealth’s growth as a whole, the Virginia Department of Transportation received 2.67 percent of the federal transportation budget in 2018. That’s the 9th most of any state or agency in the country.

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