The city's population has dropped from 1,014,545 residents in April 2020 to 971,233 residents as of July 2022, more than four percent, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
San Jose Spotlight reports a number of issues have caused this flight out of the city, such as the lack of affordable housing, the ability to work remote post-pandemic and the overall high cost of living in the region.
Austin, Texas has replaced San Jose as the county's 10th largest city and Jacksonville, Florida moved into the 11th spot, pushing the city out of its longstanding position.
Still, a recent U.S. News & World Report analysis ranks San Jose as the 13th best place to live in its annual 2023-24 U.S. cities report. This is a drop from last year's analysis which ranked it fifth out of the 150 most populated cities.
The ranking is determined by factors such as affordability, desirability, quality of life and job market. Austin placed 40th and Jacksonville placed 16th.
Some locals don't think San Jose – California’s third largest city – should rank so high, and are considering finding a new place to call home.
