Why is Pittsburgh losing population even though it's economy has been transformed? (living in, cottage)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

There may well be some individuals moving in/out of Pittsburgh to/from the suburbs. However, the numbers indicate the general trend is down in all but Butler and Washington Counties.

But the estimates I have seen suggest the City may well be trending up in population, even as Allegheny County has trended down. In any event, I agree about the next Census really being needed to sort all this out.

[reddesertfox]

Rural lady is so right,today is beautiful in pittsburgh.......however,it is dark gray skies for weeks at a time...even the summer is gray for a month often.
I leave often for the desert,due to s.a.d...but there are actually people who were born in pittsburgh and have never,ever left.no frame of reference.

[barneyg]

If today's so beautiful, how did you find a 2-year-old thread and react to it? Go outside!

(kidding)

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by reddesertfox

Rural lady is so right,today is beautiful in pittsburgh.......however,it is dark gray skies for weeks at a time...even the summer is gray for a month often.
I leave often for the desert,due to s.a.d...but there are actually people who were born in pittsburgh and have never,ever left.no frame of reference.

Why do you keep topping years-old threads? Especially ones like this, where the OP might not even be true anymore?

[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.

[Craziaskowboi]

Pittsburgh has the elderly population of a 3,000,000 metropolitan area, the younger population of a 2,000,000 metropolitan area, and the birth rate of a 1,000,000 metropolitan area. As a result, deaths outnumber births, and the elderly segment of the population is shrinking faster than the younger segment is growing, hence the population loss. There will be an equilibrium reached sometime toward the midpoint of this decade.

I don't necessarily believe that there is a dearth of opportunities in the Pittsburgh area; it's just that many of the jobs that are available seek very highly-qualified employees. This is why Pittsburgh has the fifth-highest percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees of any major U.S. city, and the highest percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with graduate or professional degrees (tied with Washington DC).

On that note, the high level of education among younger Pittsburghers might be part of why the birth rate is so low -- there seems to be a inverse relationship between educational attainment and birth rate. (This is a worldwide phenomenon.)

[Renaldo5000]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

there seems to be a inverse relationship between educational attainment and birth rate

I'm a college dropout and a loser. I might also note that I have no children. Am I an anomaly?

[Honest Bob]

The reason why there is so many college graduates in this area is due to the fact that there is not many entry level jobs and the parents of the children who are educated knows that the only way their children can get a job is if they send them to school and if they get good grades and if they make something out of themselves.

If they do not have any type of education, they will either be stuck in dead end jobs or will not be able to make enough money to move out of home!

Pennsylvania is now a go or go home type of state where the only jobs that are being published as available is jobs where people has 3 or more years of experience, where they have a college degree and where they have someone else to pull them in. The nepotism is so bad in this state that there are days where there is only maybe 10 links in the PA career link system for the entire state for jobs such as construction or manufacturing or production.

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

You have a better chance of hitting the daily number in Pennsylvania right now then you do of graduating from high school and finding a entry level job that pays more then $9 a hour or where you do not have to wear a little hat and ask do you want fries with that?

[BrianTH]

Given its current size, Pittsburgh has more than its share of large company headquarters and major offices, and prior to the recession, management was one of the local job growth areas.

On the other hand, I agree Pittsburgh's days as a mass employment center for those with little education or training are behind it. Even our industrial and manufacturing jobs these days tend to require a decent level of education and/or training.

[Bizowner00]

Just got back from South Florida. Talk about a dismal job market. Lower paying averages than Pittsburgh and strictly service sector which is HURTING... oh yeh, the population is falling for the first time in years ! West Palm Beach-Fort Lauderdale-Miami