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

The U.S. Census Bureau says the Big Apple has seen a net loss of roughly 550,000 people since 2020.

An empty office in Rockefeller Center in New York City on March 4, 2021. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

New York City has lost hundreds of thousands of citizens in the past 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 U.S. Census Bureau is using reliable methodology.

According to the Census Bureau, the trend has increased since the global COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of April 2020, the Census Bureau’s estimates set New York City’s population at 8,804,199.