Despite a marginal population increase of 0.1% -- an estimated 4,094 people -- metro Detroit continues to drop in rank among the nation's most populous areas.

The region dropped from the 13th to 14th in population rankings from 2011 and 2012, according to census data released today. In 2010, metro Detroit ranked 12th. Phoenix's metro area, with an estimated 4,329,534 residents, surpassed metro Detroit, which now stands at 4,292,060. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago continue to have the largest metropolitan areas with population sizes of 19.8 million, 13 million and 9.5 million, respectively.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013031...t-census-finds


Once the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area, will the Detroit area remain in the top 15 by the next census?