In another sign that Portland is continuing to recover from the depths of its pandemic-related problems, the population of the city increased in 2024 for the first time since COVID-19 shut down the economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The increase in the latest census report was slight, just 0.2% or around 1,400 additional residents, bringing the total Portland population to 635,749 last year. But it is the first increase since the population started declining after hitting its 2020 peak of 653,166.

The increase is included in the Vintage 2024 Estimates for American cities and towns that was released on Thursday, May 15.

The population increase follows growth in downtown foot traffic over the past few years reported by Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, the downtown service district that tracks downtown visits. Both are signs that Portland may escape the “urban doom loop” predicted as possible by ECOnorthwest economist Mike Wilkerson.

The larger Portland metro area that includes all three metro counties and Clark County, Washington, experienced significantly greater population growth, increasing 0.35% to a total of 2,537,901 in July 2024.

Both Beaverton and Hillsboro grew faster than Portland at 0.7% and 1.2% respectively. Vancouver continues to be the fastest city in the region, however, with its population increasing 4% from 2020 to 2024.

According to the report, cities of all sizes grew on average from 2023 to 2024 with Southern and Western cities experiencing accelerated growth.

“Many population growth rates reversed or saw major changes between 2023 and 2024,” Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, was quoted as saying in the report. “Cities in the Northeast that had experienced population declines in 2023 are now experiencing significant population growth, on average. In fact, cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same.”