New York lost more residents than any other state from 2020 to 2021, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate released this week.
The Empire State's population is estimated to have fallen by 319,020 or 1.6 percent in the year — the largest numeric and percentage loss of any state, according to the Daily Gazette.
While New York had the largest overall population decline, it came second to California for largest number of residents moving out of the state. It was third after Florida and Texas for largest net gain, 18,307, from international migration.
New York has fallen behind most other states in population growth in recent years.
The news comes as the U.S. Census Bureau also estimated this week that the U.S. saw the slowest one-year population growth ever, at 0.1 percent, as net population growth was limited by reduced immigration from other countries, a decreased birth rate and an increased death rate during the pandemic, according to the Bureau.
The Bureau suggested that the numbers released in the estimate this week should not be compared to previous years given that estimates are typically more accurate the closer they are to the previous decennial census, meaning that 2021 estimates would be more accurate than 2019 estimates, and that the 2020 decennial census results were partly based on estimates, which may affect the accuracy of estimates based on those results.
However, the Bureau said the trends underlying the estimates have held firm.
"Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nation's population," said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, according to the report. "Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination has resulted in a historically slow pace of growth."
The estimate comes months after then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would explore its legal options after losing a congressional seat due to population shifts recorded in the 2020 census. The Empire State came up just 89 residents short of keeping the seat, which was reassigned to a different state.
Cuomo claimed at the time that the total count may have been off and accused the Trump administration of making illegal immigrants "nervous to come forward" during the counting process.
The reapportionment, which is the result of residents fleeing the state, brings New York from 27 congressional districts to 26.
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