New York City’s Population Is Declining, but Estimates Differ on How Much

New York City has lost hundreds of thousands of citizens in the last few years, according to census data. But public policy experts are divided about the causes of the population swings, how long-term they are, and whether the Census Bureau is using reliable methodology. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the trend has increased since the global pandemic. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the beginning of April 2020, the Census Bureau’s then-most recent estimates set New York City’s population at 8,804,199. According to the bureau’s July 1, 2020 tally, the figure had fallen by more than 150,000 to 8,740,252. The trend continued in 2021 and 2022, when the population fell to 8,462,216 and 8,335,798, respectively....