Posted on Apr 19, 2019 at 6:40 am
Could the most populous city in the United States be depopulating? According to latest census office estimates , New York’s population has declined slightly over the past two years, for the first time in more than a decade. The combined effect of a decrease in immigrant arrivals and an increase in the departures of residents has caused a decline in the population, which has been growing steadily for several years.
According to the numbers , which are estimates to be confirmed by the census which takes place once every ten years and is scheduled for 2020, the population would thus have decreased by 0.47% to 8.4 million inhabitants between July 2017 and 2018. A revision of the figures showed that between 2016 and 2017, it had also fallen by 38,000 people, a drop of 0.45%, while the administration believed it had increased.
Slow-down
New York City officials have admitted that population growth, fueled by the arrival of young residents in the previous decade, has started to slow. Between 2010 and 2018, the number of residents of New York’s five neighborhoods (Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn) grew by 2.7%. “ It is not possible to maintain such a level of growth », Admitted Joseph Salvo, demographer at New York City Hall, interviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
The census office had so far estimated that 78,000 new residents arrived from abroad each year, but had to revise its figures to 54,000. The city believes, however, that the figure is underestimated.
Other large American metropolises are experiencing the same phenomenon, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh or Cleveland, while the southern and western regions are those whose population is growing the fastest.
Political representation
If confirmed in the 2020 census, this decline could lead to a decline in the representation of the city and state of New York in the House of Representatives.
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