New Yorkers are reportedly leaving the Big Apple in massive numbers as the surge in illegal immigrants continues to strain city resources, according to new data.
In 2023, New York City lost 78,000 residents, lowering its total population to 8.26 million people, down from a record 8.8 million reported in early 2020, according to recent census data acquired by The New York Times. The estimate is on top of the more than 126,000 residents the city lost in 2022.
The exodus from New York can be attributed to the accumulated years of poor policy-making by its elected officials, according to E.J. Antoni, a research fellow in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation.
“New York City is a victim of terrible decisions by its leadership, and what we are seeing is that the people who live there are now understanding that,” Mr. Antoni told The Epoch Times.
“In fact, it is difficult to find a public policy implemented by that state or city that can be pointed to as an example of doing it right.
“The streets are full of potholes, crime is out of control, and the overall quality of life has gotten to the point where a lot of people are looking around and saying, ‘Heck with this, I’m leaving.’”
In total, the NY Times report estimated that from April 2020 to July 2023, the city lost more than 6 percent of its entire population, or almost 550,000 residents. Officials had previously estimated that New York City would reach 9 million within two decades.
However, city officials pushed back on the numbers, claiming that the new census estimates didn’t fully account for the growing number of illegal immigrants, which would have resulted in a significantly smaller decrease in population being reported.
The census, which is used to determine political representation and the distribution of federal dollars, includes illegal immigrants in its tally.
Illegal Immigrants
However, it is the new immigrants who have been surging into the city illegally that have been one of the primary factors driving out native New Yorkers, according to Mr. Antoni. He claimed that many native residents are leaving the state—and primarily traveling south—in response to higher crime rates, soaring costs, and a decreasing standard of living as increasing amounts of resources are delegated to the growing illegal immigrant population.“The quality of life has absolutely been diminished as a result of the influx of illegal aliens entering the city,” Mr. Antoni said. “When you have significant amounts of city apartments and hotel rooms displacing New Yorkers, it drives up scarcity and is part of the reason the city is witnessing soaring costs.
“It is obvious. How is it that politicians don’t get this?”
New York City is spending about $387 per day on each of its 64,800 illegal immigrants to provide them with food and shelter, according to data from New York City Hall, originally reported by the New York Post. These numbers don’t include the cost of other services such as medical care and education.
Four of the five boroughs saw population declines in 2023, according to the census estimates, with the Bronx experiencing the most dramatic decline, shrinking by 25,000 residents and losing nearly 1.9 percent of its population. Brooklyn lost more than 28,000 residents and Queens more than 26,000, or a little more than 1 percent of their populations.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards claimed that the rising cost of housing is forcing native New Yorkers, mainly black residents, out of the city.
“The challenge we face is the affordability crisis. We have to do something about the cost and supply of housing.”
For New York to stop the hemorrhaging, it will first need to change its policy to one that prioritizes its own population, according to Mr. Antoni.
“What has happened to New York City is a self-inflicted wound. If you stop making bad policies, the wound will heal,” he said.
“However, what worries me is that there appears to be a growing proportion of city residents who actually support these damaging policies, and the longer that remains, the worse the situation will get.”
