ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - According to the US Census Bureau, the nation’s population is increasing overall. But not all states are growing.
New York suffered the biggest population dip of any state between July 2017 and July 2018, losing almost fifty thousand people.
Sandra Johnson, a demographer and statistician in the Population Division of the Census Bureau says "many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years," which may contribute to their population decline.
Eight other states, as well as Puerto Rico, also suffered population losses.
But on the whole, the nation’s numbers are growing – largely due to natural increases such as births as well as international immigration.
New York is still the fourth most populous state in the US.