New York City is no stranger to population decline. In fact, recent data shows that three of the five boroughs–Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx–saw some of the largest population declines in America during the last fiscal year according to US Census data released Thursday. Only Manhattan saw any rebound.
Queens County’s population fell precipitously by 50,112 residents in the 12 months ending July 1st, 2022. That’s the third largest drop in the country, behind only to Los Angeles County (90,704) and Cook County in Chicago (68,314). Brooklyn lost 46,970 residents over the same period, and Bronx lost 41,143 residents.
Manhattan lost nearly 100,000 residents in 2021 but saw an increase of 17,472 residents in fiscal year 2022. Most of the increase in Manhattan came from births and international migration, according to the Census Bureau. Population experts said Manhattan’s reputation as a business and entertainment mecca for the young and educated people may account for the turnaround.
“It is the center of the action in culture, nightlife, neighborhood amenities, museums, and all the rest and people want to be near that,” John Mollenkopf, the director of the CUNY Graduate Center for Urban Research, told the New York Post
New York City’s total population dropped by 123,104 over those 12 months to 8,335,897. That’s down 468,297 people from its peak before the COVID-19 pandemic. Debate rages over what is to blame, but many say it comes down to financials.
“Population loss in the city is driven by three factors: federal immigration policies and COVID-19 restrictions that reduced foreign immigration, historically the source of population growth in the city; the shortage of affordable housing; and high taxes that drive high earners to relocate to states where they can keep at least 50% of their earnings, which is not the case in New York City since the federal government capped the deduction of state and local taxes from federal income tax liabilities,” Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the NYC Partnership, also told the New York Post.
Despite these numbers, the Big Apple is a huge international migration destination: more than 54,000 people moved there from abroad in 2022.
