The state of New York is losing residents at a record-setting pace.
The Empire State lost more than 76,000 people in 2019, according to a recent study released by the Empire Center for Public Policy. The 0.4% dip in citizenship is the latest in yearly decreases that have contributed to a 1.4 million person decline in residency since 2010 statewide.
The total New York population as of mid-2019 stood at 19,453,561, the study reported.
The decline in total population comes despite a recent year-over-year boom in the state’s economy. New York City, for example, saw its biggest and longest economic growth spurt since World War II in the past few years.
New York was one of only 10 states to experience a total population decline this year. The state saw its fourth consecutive annual decrease after five years of growth and the largest population drop in any state.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, blamed President Trump and Republican lawmakers for the decrease.
“These right-wing cheerleaders fail to mention that it was the Washington Republicans’ asinine SALT cap who raised taxes on New Yorkers at this time — not the state,” a spokesman for the Governor’s office told the New York Post. “Under [the Cuomo] administration, middle-class taxes were cut to historic lows, business taxes were lowered, manufacturing taxes were eliminated, property taxes were permanently capped, unemployment was cut in half, and a record number of private-sector jobs were created.”
