Why is Pittsburgh losing population even though it's economy has been transformed?

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Little Bevis

That is 10 jobs and 10,000 people competing for those 10 jobs.

And maybe nine who qualify.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

And maybe nine who qualify.

Not in this economy. There are probably 900 who qualify, and are currently out of work.

[mrgonk]

tl;dr - based on the (admittedly unprofessional) research i've done, there are a few noteworthy things about population decline in pittsburgh

1) as of 2010, it appears to have actually stopped (slight gain in 2010)
2) this is unsurprising because since its worst point in the 80s, population loss has been asympotically declining leading up to 2010
3) at this point, much of it is likely attributable to death. pittsburgh has a gigantic population of senior citizens and every one of them who dies counts as a person lost. if they are dying at a relatively constant rate (don't know if they are) and the population decline is slowing, that means the city is getting younger
4) related to (3) - this is purely anecdotal evidence, but my personal experience has given me the impression that the city really is getting younger, with more postgraduates staying (hell, it's not like there are jobs elsewhere to leave for anymore) and city neighborhoods becoming more commercially active

in the interest of full disclosure i say this as a 27 year old grad student living in larryville

[mrgonk]

Originally Posted by Perryview22

Unfortunately, I am stuck here because of family issues - Very stuck. I don't know what is going on here but I instinctively believe that the hidden job market is an insidious problem here.

All I see are low-level retail jobs and higher level tech and management jobs. The rest are in the medical field and the cottage industry jobs that feed off the medical field such as medical billing companies. Where on earth are the entry to mid level operations/office jobs anymore? What is going on? Are they all getting filled by internal referrals? One large steel Co. typically posts jobs publicly that explicitly restrict applicants to internal employees. That must be one inbred steel company by now. I think it is digusting but at least they are being candid unlike most others.

Someone mentioned that they do appreciate the skyline but have reservations about the city. Well, speaking of skylines, I find it pathetic that the largest health system in the area smacked a big #$@ sign atop the tallest building in downtown Pittsburgh. Obviously, said large employer is oblivious to how this reflects on the city or they just don't give a darn. Knowing them, I tend to believe the latter. I think that says something very sad about this area. Where is the industry? This town has lost too many headquarter operations. All this is part of a composite of reasons why young people leave and why I would if I could.

welcome to the 21st century american economy. nice of you to join us.