We hear it year after year. Folks are leaving New York. But are this many people really fleeing the state? It may surprise you. 2020 has proven to be a very tough year on our nation, and the Empire State has certainly felt the brunt of it with the COVID-19 pandemic. But if the number of residents leaving keeps at its current trend, the state could actually lose a seat in the House of Representatives, according to one analysist. That's rather alarming.

According to the estimates from the United States Census Bureau, 126,355 residents left New York between July 2019 and July 2020. We know some of the reasons too, from reading the figures every year. It often comes down to; cost of living, poor job growth (especially upstate), taxes, and harsh winters. Now, add the fact that the state was one of the hardest hit areas from COVID in the world, and that's enough to send people packing, according to these estimates. Some New York City residents, who can work from home, have decided to head for areas like rural New England. Others continue to flock to the south for warmer weather and less expenses.

New York's population decline comes to a loss of 0.65 percent, followed by Illinois with a 0.63 percent loss; Hawaii third with 0.61 percent, and West Virginia with a 0.58 percent drop.

New York's population has been steadily dropping since 2010. According to the numbers from the Empire Center for Public Policy, the state has lost 1,379,210 residents between 2010 and 2019, and that's no even figuring in the latest numbers. One can only imagine what those numbers will look like in a few more years.

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