Cincinnati is losing population faster than all but six of America's largest cities as people continue a decades-long trend of fleeing for the suburbs, U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday show.

        The number of people living in the Queen City declined 9.2 percent over the last decade, jeopardizing federal funds that the city gets for transportation, community development and other programs distributed based on population. Declining population also chips away at the city's tax base.

        Mayor Charlie Luken said the estimate serves as a wake-up call to develop a plan to attract more housing, people and jobs.

        “I'm urging we put aside some of the pettiness that dominates our discussion,” Mr. Luken said.

        The Census estimated that Cincinnati lost 33,639 people from 1990 to 1999 even though Greater Cincinnati's overall population climbed 7.9 percent, or more than 143,000.

        The Census pegged Cincinnati's population at 330,914. The Greater Cincinnati region, which includes 13 counties surrounding Cincinnati, has a population of 1.96 million.

        The estimates are calculated from the 1990 Census, which was criticized by Cincinnati and other cities for undercounting residents of poorer, mostly minority neighborhoods. The city assigned staff members to work with Census 2000 officials to identify all housing and avoid an undercount.

        The initial results from the 2000 Census will be released in March.

        Shift to suburbs takes off

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