Housing Horrors: Ghost Towns on the Rise

Ghost towns: talk about spooky. In the U.S., there places where people once lived, but today lack any citizens. In fact, three places in America have become ghost towns since 2010, and another 39 saw their population dip to below 10 people, according to the latest population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

A new report from Hire A Helper revealed that In America, as of 2010, 61% of towns with fewer than 10,000 residents have had a population decline. Meanwhile, some 82% of cities with at least 100,000 residents had increased their population during that same time period.

Key Findings:

• Well over half (61%) of America’s “small towns” (<10,000 in population) have seen a drop in population since 2010
• An estimated 82% of larger cities with >100,000 people saw their population increase over the same time period
• Roughly 39 American towns have fewer than 10 residents, according to the most recent population estimates
• Corning, MO, had the greatest percentage drop in population (-93%, 15 people in 2010, just 1 person in 2022)

Three towns have officially reached a population of 0 as per the most recent Census estimates. They are Hoot Owl, OK, South Park View, KY, and Mustang, TX.

While Hoot Owl, OK, and Mustang, TX, were incorporated with a very specific purpose—to prevent trespassing and to sell alcohol, respectively—South Park View, KY, actually began as a “proper” town in 1961. As many as 92 towns in the United States have lost at least 50% of their population since 2010, according to the report.

After reaching a population of 196 in 2000, the town’s growth was hampered by the expansion of the Louisville International Airport, leading to serious noise pollution in the area. This development led most residents to relocate, leading the town to become virtually empty. Apart from these three towns that have ceased to exist, another 39 are close to disappearing off the map. Of these small towns, 32 have declined in population since 2010, with just five seeing an uptick in the number of residents.

Most of these almost-ghost towns are scattered around states in the middle of the country, forming a belt pattern from North Dakota to Oklahoma. North Dakota and South Dakota alone account for 15 of America’s towns, which house fewer than 10 people. Six more such places exist in Missouri, while Oklahoma currently has five.

Disappearing Fast: Examining towns with the biggest percent declines in population since 2010.

1. Corning, MO
2. Bigelow, MO
3. Cooperton, OK
4. Winslow, NE
5. Pacific Junction, IA
6. Varnado, LA
7. Valley Park, OK
8. Moffet, OK
9. Calio, ND
10. Wales, ND

Leaving aside the towns where the population has officially gone to 0, the town with the steepest drop in population by percentage is Corning, MO (-93%), which by the books only has one official resident remaining, compared to 15 residents in 2010. Of America’s smallest remaining towns, the states of Oklahoma (3), Missouri (2), and North Dakota (2) account for the majority of towns with the biggest population declines. Little is known about most of these towns and why exactly their population declined in such a dramatic fashion, but it’s likely a mixture of demographic, economic, and housing-related factors.

Why are people leaving these places?

Put simply, “fewer births, more deaths, and more people leaving than moving in” are key factors in population decline in rural areas, according to a 2022 study from the University of New Hampshire. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin point to the lack of housing in small towns, while an economist at Iowa State University highlights that bigger cities continue to have more and better-paying jobs, making small towns lose out in comparison.

To read the full report, including more data, charts, and methodology, click here.