White Paper - New York State Office for the Aging

THE FACE OF NEW YORK – The Numbers
• Economic recovery in the 1980’s and 90’s was modest, driven by an improved
economic climate, increased births due to the echo effect of the Baby Boom, and
continued high levels of foreign immigration.
COMPONENTS OF POPULATION CHANGE
Migration and Immigration:
Migration is the most volatile component of population change, and the most
difficult to accurately measure. While data on the number of births and deaths are
measured directly through the vital statistics registration systems, migration data must be
estimated from indirect sources.
Foreign and domestic migration have been significant demographic forces
affecting the size and composition of the population. New York has traditionally been a
high turnover state benefiting from being an entry point for large pools of in-migrant
population, but it has also lost population through heavy out-migration to other locations
in the nation. Net migration is the driving force behind population growth or decline in
New York as the State has experienced only brief periods of net in-migration over the last
30 years. Foreign immigration is a large positive component of total net migration and
accounts for the addition of more than 100,000 persons each year. Even with this
increase, New York has a net loss of population through migration because of the high
level of domestic out-migration.
Components of Population Change
New York, 1960 to 2001
900,000
700,000
Number
500,000
300,000
100,000
-100,000
-300,000
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Change Births Deaths Net Migr.
6