More people are leaving the New York metropolitan area than any other metropolitan area in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data.
More than one million people moved out of the New York area to another region since 2010, the New York Post reported.
The number of people leaving the area, which includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, the lower Hudson Valley, and Long Island, increased from 187,034 in 2015 to 223,423 in 2016.
The number of international immigrants, on the other hand, decreased from 181,551 to 160,324 over the same period, records show.
Experts say people are leaving the area due to the improving economy, an increase in jobs in cheaper places to live, and because retirees are seeking warmer climates.
“The historical trend is that out migration grows when economy is getting better,” said Empire Center for Public Policy research director E.J. McMahon. “As the economy gets better there are more jobs outside the region and by the same token . . . more people to buy your house if you’re a baby boomer looking to move to Boca Raton or Myrtle Beach.”
Americans who choose to relocate are increasingly moving to Florida, Texas, and the Northwest from the Rust Belt and the eastern U.S.
Even though people are fleeing the New York area, the region remains the most populous area in the country with a whopping 23.7 million residents.
The population of the New York region actually grew 2.7 percent from 2010 to 2016 due to foreign arrivals and births, records show.
Records from July 2016 show that New York City is on track to have 8.6 million people by 2020, an increase from the current population of 8.5 million.
People may be fleeing the tri-state area, but the state of Illinois has lost more residents than any other state for three years in a row, Breitbart News reported in December.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.