During the pandemic, we heard a lot of anecdotes about burned-out New York City residents seeking refuge upstate. Now, we have the data.
Cornell University has released a new analysis of March 24th U.S. Census Bureau numbers, and it shows the Big Apple lost nearly 4 percent of its population in COVID-19’s first year. At the same time, the state’s overall population was sharply down. According to Cornell, the Capital Region and mid-Hudson gained population, but 46 counties saw declines.
The fastest-growing county was Sullivan, while Orange County added more than 3,000 people. For analysis, we spoke with Cornell economic geographer and Russell Weaver, director of research at the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab.
