10 fastest-dying cities in U.S.

The article says old manufacturing cities such as Buffalo are in rougher shape than ever and still looking for something to replace their factories and mills.

Buffalo is the only city in New York to make the list. Ohio leads the way with four -- Youngstown, Dayton, Canton and Cleveland -- followed by Michigan with two, Detroit and Flint.

Also making the list are Charleston, W.Va.; Springfield, Mass., and Scranton, Pa.

(Canton-Massillon, Ohio, metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -7,807

Total population change: +212

June 2008 Unemployment: 6.7% (2000 average: 4.2%)

Annualized gross domestic product (GDP) growth: 0.7%

Like many cities on our list, the Canton-Massillon area has been victim to the decline of the so-called Rust Belt. A once -booming iron and steel industry has been in terminal decline for years. But the decline of steel has not left the region without any jobs. Canton and nearby Akron are home to industrial parts manufacturer Timken, security firm Diebold, Goodyear Tires and First Energy.

(Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Penn., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -28,435

Total population change: -32,260

June 2008 Unemployment: 7.3% (2000 average: 5.8%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1.2%

It's been many years since the Republic Steel Company dominated the economy of Youngstown, Ohio, and nearby Warren and Boardman, Ohio. Through a chain of mergers, Republic Steel is now part of the steel giant ArcelorMittal. ArcelorMittal is headquartered in far-off Luxembourg. Since 2000, nearly 30,000 of the region's 600,000 people have followed suit and departed for different climes themselves.

(Flint, Mich., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -17,221

Total population change: -1,433

June 2008 Unemployment: 9.7% (2000 average: 6%)

Annualized GDP growth: 0.4%

Even Detroit has not suffered from the decline of America's automakers as much as Flint. General Motors was founded here, and as GM goes, so goes Flint. The region's Buick City, once employing tens of thousands, is now one of the nation's largest brownfields. Even as 17,000 people have left the region, employment has remained high

(Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): +2,431

Total population change: -11,197

June 2008 Unemployment: 6.2% (2000 average: 4.9%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1.3%

Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Penn. are no longer thriving coal towns, and the region has struggled to build a post-industrial economy. Some help has come from the unlikeliest of sources: NBC comedy The Office, set in Scranton, gave the city an excuse to start an annual "Office" convention. The first convention in 2007 drew thousands, prompting the Philly Daily News to declare a transition "from coal to cool."

(Dayton, Ohio, metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -33,499

Total population change: -12,616

June 2008 Unemployment: 6.9% (2000 average: 3.9%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1.2%

Dayton has suffered as manufacturing in the region has gradually tapered off. It has been particularly hard hit by the decline in automotive manufacturing. But the city is not all heavy industry. Cash register and ATM manufacturer NCR is based in Dayton, and one of the region's major employers, the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is not going anywhere

(Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio, metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -115,411

Total population change: -51,539

June 2008 Unemployment: 7.7% (2000 average: 3.9%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1.7%

Only Pittsburgh and New Orleans have seen sharper population declines this decade, and New Orleans was because of a natural disaster. The presence of huge Cleveland-headquartered firms like banks National City and Key Bank, paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams or manufacturing giant Parker Hannifin are not keeping people in the region.

(Springfield, Mass.-Conn., Metropolitan NECTA)

Migration (since 2000): -16,626

Total population change: +2,643

June 2008 Unemployment: 5.9 % (2000 average: 3.0%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1%

The western Massachusetts home to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance and Smith & Wesson has suffered for a long time as the Northeast becomes less and less a destination for manufacturing. To stave off the decline, Springfield has partnered with Hartford, Conn.--25 miles to the south--and rebranded itself New England's "Knowledge Corridor," because of the presence of so many universities--UConn, Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke and Wesleyan to name a few.

(Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -51,302

Total population change: -41,926

June 2008 Unemployment: 5.7% (2000 average: 4.3%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1.9%

Buffalo has long been synonymous with city-in-decline. In the early 1900s, Buffalo was one of America's 10 largest cities, a burgeoning industrial center. It's been on decline ever since, despite a location that takes advantage of trade with Canada. Buffalo is home to M&T Bank and the Delaware North Companies--one of the major operators of stores in airports.

(Charleston, W.Va., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -5,776

Total population change: -5,682

June 2008 Unemployment: 4.8% (2000 average: 5.2%)

Annualized GDP growth: 1%

Of all the cities on our list, only Charleston currently has employment above the national average. Though its economy has grown slowly and the population of the area is older and shrinking, the West Virginia capital is a transportation hub for the region and is home to the state's banking and health care industries, as well as a cultural center.

(Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan statistical area)

Migration (since 2000): -174,592

Total population change: +15,033

June 2008 unemployment: 9.7% (2000 average: 3.7%)

Annualized GDP growth: 0.5%

High-unemployment and the continued struggles of General Motors and Ford have left Detroit something of a scrap heap, with stalled growth and a fleeing populace. Is there hope for a brighter future for Detroit? Since 2000, the city has witnessed something of a baby boom, with 430,000 babies born in a period that only 280,000 died. Maybe someday they'll all grow up to drive Chevy Volts?