New York's population shrinks by 100K+ in 2023: Here's where they moved

NYC 'City of Yes' housing plan moves forward

Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes housing plan has cleared a major hurdle in the NYC Council. The revised proposal aims to create 80,000 new housing units over the next 15 years, down from the original 100,000-unit goal. FOX 5's Richard Giacovas has the story.

NEW YORK - The U.S. South attracted the most Americans to move to the region last year, including thousands of New Yorkers.

The National Association of Realtors' 2024 Migration Trends report, released last week, shows that southern states like Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas were big winners in domestic migration patterns – "largely led by more affordable conditions and opportunities."

Here's what to know about the report and where New Yorkers moved to in 2023:

Reasons why people moved

According to the report, also citing U.S. Census Bureau data, 42% of these moves were driven by housing reasons.

Another 26% cited family reasons, 16% for employment reasons, and only 1% moved due to climate-related reasons.

2025 U.S. real estate predictions

Zillow predicted a more active market with additional inventory for 2025, giving buyers more room to negotiate. However, homebuyers should expect some turbulence with fluctuating mortgage rates, even as more homes become available. Alana Mann, President of The Statesman Group of Companies, joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.

Where people moved from in 2023

According to Census Bureau data, New York shed 101,984 people last year. Even though more than 302,000 people moved to the state in 2023, it lost more than 481,000.

In 2023, Hawaii (-4,261), Illinois (-32,826), Louisiana (-14,274), California (-75,423), Oregon (-6,021), Pennsylvania (-10,408), and West Virginia (-3,964) also all saw their populations fall.

Where New Yorkers moved to in 2023 (top states):

Below is the estimated total number of movers from New York in 2023:

Florida: 71,138
New Jersey: 55,926
Pennsylvania: 42,637
California: 35,062
Texas: 29,610
North Carolina: 29,175
Connecticut: 28,181
Georgia: 21,998
Massachusetts: 16,247
Virginia: 15,048

Construction cranes sit on the top of the new headquarters of JPMorgan Chase as the sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on April 25, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary He

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Top 10 states with largest net migration

Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia rounded out the top five states that had the largest net migration in 2023.

Tennessee came in at No. 6, followed by Arizona, Alabama and Oklahoma. Ohio rounded out the top 10 and was the only state north of the Mason-Dixon Line to land on it, after drawing in a net migration of 28,718.

According to the Census Bureau, the South, the nation's most populous region, is the only region to have maintained population growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth is largely attributed to migration, with 706,266 people added via net domestic migration.