Census: NY Lost More Population Than Any Other State

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state's population declined more than any other state in a recent 12-month period.

New numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week show the state's population declined by 48,510 between July 1, 2017 and July 1 of this year.

That's the largest decline of the nine states that lost population during that time. New York's population is 19.75 million.

Nevada and Idaho led the nation in population growth rates, while Texas saw the largest overall gain in residents.

Republican lawmakers blame New York's decline on high taxes and the upstate economy.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo faults the state's long winters and says economic factors aren't to blame. On Thursday he noted that New York's jobless rate of 3.9 percent is the lowest since 1976.