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Ride the No. 7 — New York’s ghost line.
The latest census data bizarrely suggests that densely populated, largely immigrant neighborhoods — like the ones served by the often standing-room-only Flushing subway line — are virtual moonscapes, riddled with vacant buildings.
And dumbfounded officials yesterday insisted that the census missed hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Mayor Bloomberg said after new Census data showed a modest 2.1 increase in the city’s population since 2000.
“By every measure that we have, the city’s population is greater.”
The feds insist 8.175 million people live in the city. The city’s number is 8.4 million — and local officials have vowed to fight for a re-count.
One city source blamed lazy census-takers, saying they “knocked on a door, didn’t get an answer, went back, still didn’t get an answer, and said, ‘Well, it’s vacant.’ ”
Another source speculated that many of the immigrants who pack the “vacant” buildings are worried about their immigration status and deliberately ducked census takers.
If the figures are allowed to stand, the city will be down for the count — to the tune of hundreds of millions of federal dollars.
“If those census numbers are correct, all these new developments must be filled with potted plants,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., whose district includes booming Astoria, Queens.
And State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents a stretch of Western Queens from Long Island City to Woodside served by the 7 train, pointed out, “Anyone who has set foot in western Queens in the last 10 years knows without a doubt that its population has dramatically increased.”
The feds say Brooklyn’s population grew by a scant 1.6 percent, while Queens’ barely budged — up just 0.06 percent, which translates to 1,300 people since 2000.
“I’m flabbergasted. I know they made a big, big mistake,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
Manhattan jumped 3.2 percent; The Bronx went up 3.9 percent; and Staten Island remained the fastest growing borough with a 5.6 percent spike, according to the figures.
The data also means the state will lose two Congressional seats.
The census also found that the city grew more diverse over the past decade, with a 31.8 percent increase in Asians and 8.1 increase in Hispanic residents.
The city’s northern suburbs and Long Island also gained population.