East-West Gateway’s June 2022 Map of the Month depicts the estimated change in population for children under the age of 18 for each of the 3,143 U.S. counties between 2010 and 2020. Green dots represent an estimated net increase of 200 persons during this period, while red dots represent an estimated net decrease of 200 persons.
The five counties with the greatest increases in the under-18 population included Harris County (+64,154) and Fort Bend County (+52,002) in the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); Collin County (+53,339) and Denton County (+46,119) in the Dallas MSA; and Orange County, Florida (+43,973) in the Orlando MSA. The counties with the greatest declines in the under-18 population were Los Angeles County, California (-347,997), Cook County, Illinois (-129,143), Orange County, California (-69,326), Suffolk County, New York (-46,294), and Wayne County, Michigan (-44,745).
The Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the greatest increases in the under-18 population were Houston (+181,088), Dallas (+169,995), and Washington D.C. (+98,263). The metropolitan regions with the greatest declines in under-18 population were Los Angeles (-417,323), Chicago (-248,016) and New York (-109,753). The St. Louis MSA had a net decrease of 46,958 persons under age 18.