New York is one of only four states to lose population this year – and it may soon be overtaken by fast-growing Florida, new U.S. Census Bureau figures show.
The Empire State now has 19.3 million people, putting it in third place behind No. 1 California, with 36.5 million and No. 2 Texas with 23.5 million.
But Florida, which added another 321,697 people in the year ending July 1, now has 18.1 million, according to data released yesterday.
New York dropped by 9,538. If the trend continues, New York will fall to fourth place by the end of the decade.
Part of that exodus can be attributed to immigrants who came into the country through New York City and then moved on, often to areas with a lower cost of living.
But Robert Ward of the Business Council of New York State said the change can be partly attributed to people heading to Texas and other states that are gaining jobs at a faster rate.
“People are moving elsewhere in search of opportunities that they’re not finding in New York,” Ward said.
There was other evidence of Sun Belt growth – and Rust Belt decline – in the census numbers:
* New Jersey was knocked out of the nation’s top 10 by North Carolina.
The Garden State grew by 21,410 people, to 8.7 million. But North Carolina added 184,046 to reach 8.9 million.
* Texas gained the most people, adding another 579,275.
* But in terms of percentage, Arizona was the fastest-growing, with a 3.6 percent rise. That ended Nevada’s 19-year run as the fastest grower.
* The South grew by 1.5 million, up 1.4 percent – and now accounts for 36 percent of the U.S. population.
The South also had the biggest loser, post-Katrina Louisiana. Its population dropped by nearly 220,000, or about 5 percent. Louisiana had grown by 12,000 in the previous year.
The other states to shrink in the last year were Michigan, down 5,190, and Rhode Island, down 5,969.
The Northeast accounts for only 18 percent of the U.S. population and grew by just 62,000. The West was the fastest-growing region, increasing by 1.5 percent.