Young families continued to leave cities last year – but at a slower pace

During the pandemic, the number of young children in urban U.S. counties saw significant declines. Joyce Lilly, center, holds her granddaughter Paige alongside her husband, Anil, at their new home in July 2020 in Washingtonville, N.Y. (John Minchillo/AP)

When the pandemic was in full force, one of the big news storylines was that families were fleeing cities for the countryside or the suburbs. New data suggests what the next chapter of the story might be, even if the saga's ending is still unclear.

A new analysis of recently released census data by the Economic Innovation Group, a research and advocacy group, provides some numbers to back up the anecdotes.