Census Data Show Columbus Is Growing Fast

New census estimates show that Columbus has been the fastest growing large city in Ohio over the past three years. The city grew by 4.3 percent from 2010 through 2013, to 822,553 residents. Columbus is still the country's 15th largest city, just behind San Francisco in population. The census estimates released Wednesday show that Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Toledo and Youngstown have lost population since 2010, while the cities of Dayton and Cincinnati showed modest growth. But no other large Ohio city comes close to Columbus' growth during that time. Officials attribute it to more jobs and opportunities for young people in central Ohio. Overall, the Columbus metro area is the third-largest in the state, slightly smaller than the metro areas of Cincinnati and Cleveland.