NYC has lost more than 6% of its population in three years (April 2020-July 2023), outlines The New York Times. New census estimates echoes this downward trend in population, reporting a loss of 78,000 residents in 2023. The city experienced a similar drop in population in 2022, losing over 126,000 residents. Even the State of New York lost more than a half a million residents in 2022.
8.8 million people called NYC home in 2020. Now, census estimates show the city’s population has shrank to around 8.26 million. Keep in mind the new population estimates do not account for migrants.
Out of the five boroughs, Manhattan was the only one to experience a population growth. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx all saw a decline—most significantly the Bronx.
Back in 2016, city officials believed NYC’s population would reach 9 million by 2040. Many city officials now disagree with the recent 2023 estimates. “This July 2023 estimate does not fully account for changes in this population,” spokesman for the Department of City Planning, Casey Berkovitz, mentioned in a statement to The Post. “Our analysis indicates that the city’s population was essentially unchanged between July 2022 and 2023.”
Reports show NYC has had an influx of 180,000 asylum-seekers since spring 2022. If the new estimates had considered migrants, the drop in NYC population would have been minuscule, The New York Times reiterates Berkovitz’s point.
Keep exploring new releases from the U.S. Census Bureau to stay updated.