Which places in the country are best for a good life? Opinions may differ and experts offer provocative rankings, but the best barometer of quality of life may be one simple statistic: population growth. People move to communities with opportunities for economic, social and educational well-being; they move out of communities that lack these qualities.  By this measure, Maryland's biggest city is getting a strong vote of no confidence.
 

Baltimore was once the nation's sixth-largest city. But since 1950, its population has declined by nearly 40%. Having failed to change the city's political culture and policy direction at the ballot box, many city residents — white and Black, old and young — have voted with their feet.
 

The latest bad news came from the Census Bureau, which estimates the city has lost over 20,000 residents, or 3.5% of its population, just since the 2020 census. Mayor Brandon Scott, who should be concerned about such things, hasn't publicly mentioned this data to my knowledge, let alone announced ideas for stemming the tide.

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