Birmingham could soon become Alabama’s fourth largest city by population numbers as Mobile anticipates a jump to second place following the possible annexation of four unincorporated areas to their west. But local leaders say the region’s economy will continue to be successful as Birmingham-Hoover remains the largest metro area in the state by far.

If all four of the previously mentioned unincorporated areas vote to approve their incorporation into Mobile, the city’s population will increase by around 14% from 186,833 residents (according to 2021 Census estimates) to nearly 213,000 residents according to a recent article by AL.com reporter John Sharp.

Birmingham’s current population sits somewhere around 197,575 according to 2021 Census estimates.

With the possible increase Mobile is poised to push Montgomery and Birmingham down from their previous rankings as second and third largest Alabama cities respectively and only trail behind the booming Huntsville with its 215,006 residents (according to 2021 Census estimates).

Both Montgomery and Birmingham have been shrinking over the last few years, but Birmingham has taken the biggest hit. Between July 2020 and 2021 the city lost over 1% of its total population according to a previous report from AL.com’s Ramsey Archibald.