Manhattan’s population is increasing while the outer boroughs shrink

The streets of Manhattan, the most densely populated borough of New York City, became empty in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years ago, it looked like Manhattan lost its appeal to New Yorkers as more people relocated to the suburbs. However, despite the rise in remote work and sky-high home prices, Manhattan became the only New York City borough where the population grew last year. 

Manhattan gained 17,472 new residents in the year ending last July, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This NYC borough saw one of the biggest improvements in the number of residents. However, even with this increase, Manhattan’s population is still about 98,000 short of what it was in April 2020, a month after the start of the lockdown. 

Unlike Manhattan, all four other NYC boroughs saw a decrease in the number of residents. Brooklyn’s population declined by 46,970, over 50,000 people left Queens, the Bronx lost 41,143 residents, and 2,351 moved out of Staten Island. The surprising increase in Manhattan’s population comes from births and international migration. Domestic migration accounted just for 2,908 new residents. 

Over the past two years, NYC lawmakers have launched multiple programs and initiatives to help the city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the most recent “We ♥ NYC” campaign encouraging community engagement. However, New York City still struggles to get back to its pre-pandemic levels. The city’s population is 8.3 million, down from 8.8 million in April 2020. 

Whitman County, Washington, was the fastest-growing county in the United States, according to the report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Maricopa County, Arizona, saw the largest population gain, adding 56,831 residents in 2022. Meanwhile, the traditionally popular Los Angeles County, California, lost more residents than any other place across the country. Over 90,000 people left this county in 2022.  

“The migration and growth patterns for counties edged closer to pre-pandemic levels this year,” said Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s population division. “Some urban counties, such as Dallas and San Francisco, saw domestic outmigration at a slower pace between 2021 and 2022, compared to the prior year. Meanwhile, many counties with large universities saw their populations fully rebound this year as students returned."

Resources:

“Growth in the Nation’s Largest Counties Rebounds in 2022,” (The U.S. Census Bureau, 2023)

“Manhattan claws back people as urban counties stem outflow,” by Mike Schneider (Associated Press News, 2023)

“Manhattan’s Population Is Rebounding While the Other NYC Boroughs Shrink,” by Alexandre Tanzi (Bloomberg, 2023)

“Manhattan makes up ground from pandemic migration,” by TRD Staff (The Real Deal, 2023)