The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released new population estimates for cities and towns across the country.

Portland continued to shrink, though its decline has slowed. Meanwhile, some suburban areas and exurban communities saw population gains.

Fastest growing cities

1. Boardman in Morrow County

Boardman, a city on the Columbia River with 4,268 residents, was the fastest growing city between July 2022 and last July. The city, roughly 160 miles from Portland, saw its population grow nearly 8%, by 313 people, from the prior year’s 3,955.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Boardman has added 424 residents, a population growth over 11%. The city’s growth in recent years may be partly tied to the four giant data centers that Amazon built in the area, which brought several hundred local jobs tied to its operations.

2. Happy Valley in Clackamas County

Happy Valley’s population grew to 28,409, up 7.5% from 26,438 a year earlier. The Portland suburb’s growth ranked at the top for cities with 20,000 or more people. Since 2020, the city has added 4,368 residents, representing an 18% gain over the years.

Happy Valley began seeing rapid growth in the late 1990s but was hit hard in the foreclosure crisis. It has since bounced back, outpacing most of the metro area in recent years, thanks to land availability and brisk housing development.

3. Woodburn in Marion County

Woodburn gained 1,736 residents, a 6.4% increase to 29,033. The mid-Willamette Valley city has added over 3,000 new residents, nearly 12%, since 2020.

Woodburn, situated between Salem and the Portland metro area, has seen a housing and industrial boom over the years. The city is home to Amazon’s new 3.8 million-square-foot warehouse, which is expected to open later this year or early 2025 and employ around 1,500 people.

4. Ridgefield in Clark County, Washington

Ridgefield, a city about 14 miles north of Vancouver, grew 5.6%, adding nearly 800 people. A little more than 15,000 residents now live in the city as of July. Ridgefield ranked even higher in growth since the onset of the pandemic, thanks to rapid development. The city has added more homes and will soon welcome a new In-N-Out Burger location and a Costco.

The city’s population grew a whopping 38% between July 2020 and last July, adding nearly 4,200. Its numerical gains rival its larger neighbor Vancouver, a city of 196,400, which gained 5,100 residents over the same period.

5. Phoenix in Jackson County

Phoenix, a city neighboring Medford in southern Oregon, gained just over 5% during the year, or 215 people, bringing its population to 4,422. The city has rebounded after shedding its population yearly since 2020.

The city’s population totaled 4,490 in July 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, the city saw its population drop nearly 5%, about 220 people. The city’s population dipped to nearly 4,200 in July 2022. The city’s population losses coincided with the southern Oregon wildfires in 2020 that wiped out hundreds of homes. The fires left more than 2,000 residents without a home.

Fastest shrinking cities

Meanwhile, several small towns in Oregon saw the biggest population losses over the past year.

1. Lexington in Morrow County

Lexington, a tiny town roughly 34 miles south of Boardman, saw its population dip 4.6% to 226 between July 2022 and last July.

2. Heppner in Morrow County

Heppner, the county seat of Morrow County, saw a 4.4% loss to 1,120 residents over the same time period.

3. Lonerock in Gilliam County

Lonerock, a tiny town in Eastern Oregon, lost one resident in the year leading up to July 2023. Of a town with now 23 residents, that represented about a 4% loss.

4. Ione in Morrow County

Ione, a town roughly 11 miles northeast of Lexington, saw its population decline 4% to 325 residents.

5. Astoria in Clatsop County

Astoria, the port city near the mouth of the Columbia River, saw its population drop 1.7%, losing 183 residents, to 9,986. Its population dipped below 10,000 for the first time since 2019. The city’s population climbed steadily since 2013 but began to fall after 2020.