The suburbs are still growing, but several cities in southern Minnesota lost population from 2007 to 2008.

The U.S. Census Bureau is reporting its 2008 population estimates for U.S. cities, and in Minnesota it shows strong growth around the Twin Cities.

Among the cities the grew the fastest from 2007 to 2008 were Otsego, Hugo, Victoria and Waconia. They all grew by at least 3.5 percent since 2007.

Among the state’s largest cities, the populations of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth and Bloomington all increased at least a bit.

The bureau reports that many of the cities with sizable populations that shrank are in southern Minnesota.

The state as a whole grew by about 38,000 people to 5.22 million.