It’s no secret that some of America’s largest cities are losing residents. And while New York’s losses slowed in 2022, the nation’s largest metropolitan area has seen substantial declines since the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world’s work and leisure habits.
So where is everyone headed? To the American South, it turns out.
According to Census Bureau data, between April 2020 and July 2022, New York’s estimated population slumped from 8.80 million to 8.34 million, a drop of roughly 468,000 residents — nearly 5.3% of the city’s total population. Much of this loss was recorded between 2020 and 2021.
San Francisco lost 7.5% of its residents between 2020 and 2022, accounting for a greater loss of total population than New York.
So where did all those residents land? Census data indicates many went south. Georgetown, Texas saw a huge spike in population: more than 14.4% in 2022 alone. In fact, four out of the top five cities with populations of 50,000 or more that saw the biggest population increases were in Texas.
Additionally, more than 126,000 New Yorkers have exchanged their drivers licenses for Florida identifications since the beginning of 2021, according to Fox Business, which cited data from the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.