NYS lost 650,000+ residents since 2010

For residents of New York it’s another year with similar results. The Empire Center released its latest data, which revealed that the state had lost just under 154,000 people living in New York. The U.S. Census Bureau was even less kind with their estimate being that the state lost around 160,000 residents in this reporting period. While the reporting period ended in July of 2015 — this report is just the latest in bad news for New Yorkers and reiterates something most have understood for years. The report by the Empire Center found that since the 2010 New York State had the highest rate of “net domestic migration” loss of any state in the U.S. Those estimates suggest that since the 2010 census New York has lost 653,071 residents to other states.However, not all of the news was bad for New York. The study found that the state had the second-highest rate of foreign immigrants flowing into it throughout the U.S. While California finished atop that list, the study also found that New York State had one of the highest rates of “natural increase” in the U.S. The study said that this was “Thanks in part to a high birth rate among recent immigrants.” The study found that as it pertained to “natural increases” the state gained 83,857 in the last year.Domestic migration loss, foreign immigration and natural increases are a part of a larger figure: The total population. The Empire Center found that New York’s overall population increased just 0.24% in the last year, which was among the lowest. The state’s population reached an estimated 19,795,791, which was an increase equal to one-third the national average. The study conducted by the Empire Center also found that while things were at their worst during the recession, they have mildly improved since. Job creation continues to be a major problem within the state and something that is reflected in the loss and unemployment rates. While unemployment remains relatively low in the region — fewer jobs created after the major production industries left the area decades ago has left a void that could only be filled by exiting the state. In Seneca, Ontario, Wayne, Yates, and Cayuga counties the unemployment rate is between 4.0-4.9%. Tompkins County is actually one of the only counties in the state that has an unemployment rate of less than 4% according to official statistics, and not estimates.The question now is this: While favorable labor statistics are released on a monthly basis from the Department of Labor here in New York State — how much of this is offset by residents leaving the state for opportunities that present themselves elsewhere?This is the question many are asking and the one that deserves more answers than are currently being provided. On Dec. 17th the Department of Labor in New York State released its jobs numbers for the previous month, which found that more than 13,000 private sector jobs had been added. However, even if the best numbers held up each month there still wouldn’t be enough jobs created in a year to offset the number of residents that have been lost in the last year to domestic migration out of New York.