New York State witnessed a staggering loss of nearly a quarter-million residents in 2022, marking one of the most severe population declines nationwide. This ongoing exodus from the Empire State follows a longstanding trend of people relocating, which could have significant implications for its congressional representation.
Top 5 U.S. counties for population growth:
Three of them are in Texas.Top 5 U.S. counties for population decline:
Three of them are in New York.This tweet explains itself.
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) April 17, 2023
Recent census data reveals that over half a million New Yorkers opted to move to other states, with Florida emerging as the primary destination. Residents also flocked to neighboring states, as well as Texas and California.
While just over 300,000 individuals relocated to New York last year, the net population decrease exceeded a quarter-million.
Florida attracted nearly 100,000 of these new residents, with another 30,000 heading to Texas.
After the 2020 census, New York lost a congressional seat, impacting its total electoral votes. This decline reflects a shift in population dynamics as New York, once the most populous state in the nation before being surpassed by California in the 1950s, now ranks fourth behind California, Texas, and Florida.
Furthermore, New York’s relative population decline compared to other states has been notable. It surrendered its third-place position to Florida since the 2010 census, with recent figures indicating that Florida now boasts over 2.5 million more residents than the Empire State.
New York is among several states grappling with persistent population outflows. States like Illinois and California have also seen a decrease in congressional representation due to diminishing relative population. In some cases, such as Illinois, the number of residents actually declined in 2022 compared to the 2010 census.
Critics on the conservative front argue that these states share common administrative issues, with Democratic Party-controlled governors and legislatures, as well as some of the highest tax rates in the nation.