I’ve got a little personal research project I’m working on. Previous entries in this blog have mentioned that I’ve wanted to focus on midsize Midwestern cities, a category of cities often overlooked (with apologies to Richard Longworth). But of course to study them, they must be defined. So that’s what I’ve done.
Looking at 2010 U.S. Census data, I found there are 74 cities in the Midwest as as I've described it with a population between 50,000 and 300,000. I eliminated primary cities that fit the population threshold but were part of metro areas that had more than one million people (i.e., St. Paul, MN; Cincinnati, OH; Buffalo, NY), leaving me with 71 midsize Midwest cities. The largest is Toledo, OH (287,208 residents) and the smallest is Elkhart, IN (50,949). In between are cities that have become the icons of American Heartland – see the table below.
| Midsize Midwest Cities | 2010 City Population | 2010 Metro Area Population |
| Toledo, OH | 287,208 | 651,429 |
| Lincoln, NE | 258,379 | 302,157 |
| Ft. Wayne, IN | 253,691 | 416,257 |
| Madison, WI | 233,209 | 568,593 |
| Des Moines, IA | 203,433 | 569,633 |
| Akron, OH | 199,110 | 703,200 |
| Aurora, IL | 197,899 | 9,461,105 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 188,040 | 774,160 |
| Sioux Falls, SD | 153,888 | 228,261 |
| Rockford, IL | 152,871 | 349,431 |
| Joliet, IL | 147,433 | 9,461,105 |
| Kansas City, KS | 145,786 | 2,035,334 |
| Dayton, OH | 141,527 | 841,502 |
| Topeka, KS | 127,473 | 233,870 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 126,326 | 257,940 |
| Evansville, IN | 117,429 | 358,676 |
| Independence, MO | 116,830 | 2,035,334 |
| Springfield, IL | 116,250 | 210,170 |
| Peoria, IL | 115,007 | 379,186 |
| Lansing, MI | 114,297 | 464,036 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 113,934 | 344,791 |
| Elgin, IL | 108,188 | 9,461,105 |
| Rochester, MN | 160,769 | 186,011 |
| Fargo, ND | 105,549 | 208,777 |
| Green Bay, WI | 104,057 | 306,241 |
| Flint, MI | 102,434 | 425,790 |
| Erie, PA | 101,786 | 280,566 |
| South Bend, IN | 101,168 | 319,224 |
| Davenport, IA | 99,685 | 379,690 |
| Kenosha, WI | 99,218 | 9,461,105 |
| Waukegan, IL | 89,078 | 9,461,105 |
| Lawrence, KS | 87,643 | 110,826 |
| Duluth, MN | 86,265 | 279,771 |
| Sioux City, IA | 82,684 | 143,577 |
| Champaign, IL | 81,055 | 231,891 |
| Bloomington, IN | 80,405 | 192,714 |
| Gary, IN | 80,294 | 9,461,105 |
| Racine, WI | 78,860 | 195,408 |
| Appleton, WI | 78,086 | 225,666 |
| St. Joseph, MO | 76,780 | 127,379 |
| Bloomington, IL | 76,610 | 169,572 |
| Decatur, IL | 76,122 | 110,768 |
| Kalamazoo, MI | 74,262 | 326,589 |
| Canton, OH | 73,007 | 404,422 |
| Muncie, IN | 70,085 | 117,671 |
| Waterloo, IA | 68,426 | 167,819 |
| Iowa City, IA | 67,862 | 152,586 |
| Lafayette, IN | 67,140 | 201,789 |
| Youngstown, OH | 66,982 | 565,773 |
| Oshkosh, WI | 66,083 | 166,994 |
| Eau Claire, WI | 65,883 | 161,151 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 65,842 | 189,093 |
| Lorain, OH | 64,097 | 2,077,240 |
| Janesville, WI | 62,948 | 160,331 |
| Hamilton, OH | 62,477 | 2,130,151 |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 62,230 | 865,350 |
| Bismarck, ND | 61,272 | 108,779 |
| Terre Haute, IN | 60,785 | 172,425 |
| Springfield, OH | 60,608 | 138,333 |
| Pontiac, MI | 59,515 | 4,296,250 |
| Ames, IA | 58,965 | 89,542 |
| Dubuque, IA | 57,637 | 93,653 |
| Owensboro, KY | 57,265 | 114,752 |
| Anderson, IN | 56,129 | 131,636 |
| Grand Forks, ND | 52,838 | 98,461 |
| Normal, IL | 52,497 | 169,572 |
| LaCrosse, WI | 52,485 | 133,665 |
| Manhattan, KS | 52,281 | 127,081 |
| Battle Creek, MI | 52,347 | 136,146 |
| Saginaw, MI | 51,508 | 200,169 |
| Elkhart, IN | 50,949 | 197,559 |
I listed them all in a spreadsheet that included their 2010 city population an d their 2010 metro area population, and started to make some early observations. For example, metro area population is likely a better indicator of the relative “imprint” of a city, rather than primary city population. Saginaw, MI, with a population of 51,000 but a metro area of 200,000, seems bigger than Muncie, IN, with a city population of 70,000 but a metro area population of just 118,000. And of course, cities that were relatively close to large metro areas (having a population greater than one million) seem to share more characteristics with their bigger neighbors than their smaller ones, economically and socially.
That led me to ask a few questions that could shed some light on other city characteristics:
· Is the city a county seat or a county’s largest city, yet not the primary city of a metro area?
· Is the city a part of or adjacent to a large metro area (with a population of more than one million)?
· Is the city less than 60 miles from a large metro area?
· Is the city a state capital?
· Is the city a college town?
And that exercise led to some interesting conclusions. Using those questions I was able to identify seven different categories of midsize Midwest cities, and the categories provide a glimpse into each city’s economic history and strengths:
1. Captured Satellite City: A once independent midsize city that has been pulled into the “orbit” of a larger metro area. There are eleven in this category.
2. Emerging Satellite City: An independent midsize city that is in the process of or on the verge of being pulled into the orbit of a larger metro area. There are six in this group.
3. State Capital and College Town: A city fortunate enough to be a government center and the home of a major university. There are just three in this category.
4. Emerging Satellite City and College Town: A combination of points 2 and 3, they retain some measure of independence from larger metros, and benefit from having large schools. There are only two in this group.
5. State Capital: Self-explanatory. There are four here.
6. College Town: Again self-explanatory. There are ten in this group.
7. Independent Midsize City: Ah yes, the largest group, with 35 in this category. Too far from major metros to bask in their glory, and no state capital or university to build from.
Here’s how the cities stack up in a table:
| Midsize Midwest City Categories | Cities By Category |
| Captured Satellite City | Aurora, IL; Joliet, IL; Kansas City, KS; Independence, MO; Elgin, IL; Kenosha, WI; Waukegan, IL; Gary, IN; Lorain, OH; Hamilton, OH; Pontiac, MI |
| | |
| Emerging Satellite City | Akron, OH; Dayton, OH; Flint, MI; Racine, WI; Springfield, OH; Anderson, IN |
| | |
| State Capital AND College Town | Lincoln, NE, Madison, WI; Lansing, MI |
| | |
| Emerging Satellite City AND College Town | Ann Arbor, MI; Bloomington, IN |
| | |
| State Capital | Des Moines, IA; Topeka, KS; Springfield, IL; Bismarck, ND |
| | |
| College Town | Lawrence, KS; Champaign, IL; Bloomington, IL; Kalamazoo, MI; Muncie, IN; Iowa City, IA; Lafayette, IN; Ames, IA, Normal, IL; Manhattan, KS |
| | |
| Independent Midsize City | Toledo, OH; Ft. Wayne, IN; Grand Rapids, MI; Sioux Falls, SD; Rockford, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Evansville, IN; Peoria, IL; Rochester, IL; Fargo, ND; Green Bay, WI; Erie, PA; South Bend, IN; Davenport, IA; Duluth, MN; Sioux City, IA; Appleton, WI; St. Joseph, MO; Decatur, IL; Canton, OH; Waterloo, IA; Youngstown, OH; Oshkosh, WI; Eau Claire, WI; St. Cloud, MN; Janesville, WI; Council Bluffs, IA; Terre Haute, IN; Dubuque, IA; Owensboro, KY; Grand Forks, ND; La Crosse, WI; Battle Creek, MI; Saginaw, MI; Elkhart, IN |
In the near future I’ll write about common characteristics within cities in each category. In the meantime, what do you think? Does this sorting make sense? Any glaring omissions? Any bad calls? Please let me know.