We’re Number Four — We’re Number Four — We’re Number Four !!!

NY Times reports   —   New York Soon to Trail Florida in Population, and It Might Have Done So Already

Long term trend reflects economic depression upstate  —  NYC  remains an exception

New York, which long ago had ceded its number one position in population to California, will soon fall behind Florida into fourth place, a long-anticipated drop that is rife with symbolism and that is also likely to carry potentially serious economic consequences in coming years (See “New York Soon to Trail Florida in Population” by Jesse McKinley, 12/26/13, New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/27/nyregion/new-york-soon-to-trail-florida-in-population.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0]).

Don’t expect New York State to turn any of this around anytime soon —  certainly not with the current leadership team in Albany.

According to the Times article by Jesse McKinley, a large part of Florida’s appeal, especially as compared to New York State has to do with its pro-business, low tax approach, and Florida also has no personal income tax. “While demographers tend to stay neutral on the issue of population growth, they say that bigger is generally better because it tends to reflect an attractive economic climate. *** ‘Once you have a growing economy, you tend to attract a lot of young people,’ said Mark Mather, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit research group in Washington.... ***  New York City certainly still attracts young people, Mr. Mather said, ‘but the city is different from the state’.”

Let’s see how New York City fairs after at least four years of Bill De Blasio as mayor.