New York State leads the nation in population loss, while most local counties are also losing residents.

Nine states lost population during the past year, between July 2017 and July 2018. Of those nine, New York lost the most, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

During the past year, New York lost 48,510 people, officials say. Illinois (45,116), West Virginia (11,216), Louisiana (10,840), Hawaii (3,712), Mississippi (3,133), Alaska (2,348), Connecticut (1,215) and Wyoming (1,197) were the other states to lose population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Many states have seen fewer births and more deaths in recent years,” Sandra Johnson, a demographer/statistician in the Population Division of the Census Bureau, said. “If those states are not gaining from either domestic or international migration they will experience either low population growth or outright decline.

In the Mid-Hudson Valley, most counties have seen a population decrease between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

  • Sullivan County: -2.6%
  • Ulster County: -1.7%
  • Dutchess County: -0.6%
  • Putnam County: -0.3%

In that time frame, Orange County was the only local county to see an increase in population at 2.5%.

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