Chicago could soon lose its ranking as the third-largest city in the U.S.
The Second City was the only one of the top 20 cities in the country to see its population decline last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday.
In 2014, Chicago reported a population of 2,723,436 but in 2015 that number droped to 2,720,546.
Chicago is followed on the list of most populous cities by Houston, Texas, which was among the cities that added the most people last year. The city's population grew by than 40,000 last year, reaching to 2,296,224, according to data.
Demographers have predicted Houston could jump into the third place slot within the next 10 years if the trend continues, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rob Paral, a Chicago-based demographer, told the publication "even if Chicago stays fairly steady for a period, Houston would pass us up in about 10 years."
Some, however, note that such predictions are tricky as they do not account for economic shifts.
Local
Chicago isn't alone in seeing the population decline, however. Illinois as a whole lost more than 22,000 people last year, dipping to 12,859,995. Rockford and Joliet, both among Illinois' largest cities, also saw declines. Meanwhile, cities including Aurora and Naperville, gained residents.
Other Midwestern cities also saw declines, including Detroit and Milwaukee. In fact, the only Midwestern city named among the 15 fastest-growing cities was Ankeny, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.
Texas, however, has seen a major population boost with the state being home to five of the 11 fastest-growing cities and five of the eight cities to add the most people, data showed.
