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- People moving to New York are younger, make slightly more, and rent more than those leaving.
- 545,600 people moved from New York between 2021 and 2022, while 301,500 people moved into New York.
- New York City's population declined by almost half a million between 2020 and 2022.
Moving to New York? Expect your fellow movers to be Gen Z, unmarried, renting an apartment, and making about $57,000.
A Business Insider analysis of individual-level data from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey, assembled by the University of Minnesota's IPUMS program, found that movers to New York were more likely to be unmarried, from a younger generation, renting a home, and making more money than movers from New York.
According to the Census Bureau, about 545,600 people moved from New York between 2021 and 2022 — and 884,000 residents since 2020. Over 91,200 moved to Florida, while 75,100 moved to New Jersey. Meanwhile, almost 301,500 people moved into New York between 2021 and 2022 coming from states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California.
A New York State Comptroller report found that New York City's population declined by almost half a million between 2020 and 2022. Many New Yorkers have been priced out and are looking for housing across the Hudson River — or the country. Among those leaving the city, the median wage was $49,000 in 2022, down 18% from 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this compares to $46,310 for the national median wage and the median wage for the New York metro area of $57,390.
The typical person leaving New York
Among those leaving New York State between 2021 and 2022, over a third were millennials, while just under a third were Gen Z, according to Business Insider's analysis of the Census data. Gen Xers and boomers made up 15.9% and 14.7% respectively.
Those who left made about $54,600 on average, though this included nearly 31% not in the labor force. About 64.2% of those who left were employed, while 4% were unemployed.
Over a third were homeowners in their new states of residence, with an average home value of $563,300. This is higher than the national average home value of $493,000.
Half of those who left New York were single or unmarried, while 36.2% were married. The remainder were divorced at 8.5%, widowed at 3.2%, and separated at 2.1%. Movers also skewed slightly female at 53.3%.
Florida was the top destination for movers, many of whom were retirees looking for warmer weather and a slower pace of life. New Yorkers have increasingly been moving to New Jersey, particularly to cities such as Jersey City and Hoboken on the Hudson seeking slightly cheaper rents. Nearly 50,700 moved to Connecticut and 44,800 moved to Pennsylvania.
"When I came into office, we had a clear agenda, and then we also not only executed on that, but we actually spent money and time in marketing the city outside of just Jersey City," Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told BI last September. This included investing in public spaces, arts, and nightlife, as well as shifting housing policy.
"Some of it was very, very deliberate, and some of it was fortunate timing with regards to New York City not executing on those things," he added. "I think any success story in life is a blend of execution and luck, but this is a good one."
The typical person moving to New York
Those moving to New York tended to be younger than those moving away. Over 42% of movers were Gen Zers between 2021 and 2022, while 39% were millennials. Just 8.7% were Gen Xers, while 7.4% were boomers.
The average income for movers was $56,800. About 30% were not in the labor force and 65.4% were employed. Since many are moving to New York City, over 78% rented, and among the 22% of homeowners, the average home value was $671,900.
As the ages skewed younger, the percentage of single or unmarried movers was over 67%, while just 25.3% were married and 3.9% were divorced.
Nearly 34,700 movers to New York came from California, while 38,800 moved from New Jersey. Another 28,200 moved from Pennsylvania, while more than 134,000 moved from a foreign country.
Some recent movers to New York told BI how they value the city's diversity, public transit, and opportunities for advancing their careers — though the prices and scale of the city are overwhelming to many. The city is still attracting some older Americans too: Jim and Ellen Diamond, both in their 80s, moved to a luxury senior- and assisted-living facility in Manhattan, which makes life more convenient.
"Moving saved us the time we spent driving back and forth to the city or taking the trains, which began to take a toll on us as we got older," Jim said. "And we knew that the future had this plan for us to have a place where there was some help, but we needed it later on. We're still mobile, and it seems to be working out very well."
Have you recently moved to a new state? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.