According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s population is increasing overall, but not in New York.
New York suffered the biggest population dip of any state between July 2017 and July 2018, losing 48,510 people.
Sandra Johnson, a demographer and statistician in the Population Division of the Census Bureau, said "many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years," which may contribute to their population decline.
Eight other states, as well as Puerto Rico, also suffered population losses. After New York was Illinois (45,116 loss), West Virginia (11,216), Louisiana (10,840), Hawaii (3,712), Mississippi (3,133), Alaska (2,348), Connecticut (1,215) and Wyoming (1,197).
On the whole, however, the nation’s numbers are growing – largely due to natural increases such as births, as well as international immigration. The Census Bureau said the U.S. population grew by 0.6 percent and Nevada and Idaho were the nation’s fastest-growing states. International migration was slightly higher last year (978,826 compared to 953,233 the year before).
New York is still the fourth most populous state in the United States.
