Goodbye NYC; Estimates show big city losses, Sunbelt gains

Goodbye NYC; Estimates show big city losses, Sunbelt gains

FILE - The Manhattan skyline is seen from the observatory of the Empire State Building in New York City on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Using recent metro-area data from the U.S. Census Bureau and state-level data from the Federation of State Tax Administrators, NerdWallet’s list of the 10 best cities for freelancers includes places where housing and income taxes tended to be relatively more affordable, freelancer culture was vibrant and there were signs of growing demand for goods and services. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

(AP)- Eight of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. lost population during the first year of the pandemic. New estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau show only Phoenix and San Antonio gained new residents from 2020 to 2021. New York led the way, losing more than 305,000 residents, or about 3.5% of its 2020 population. Among the nation’s 10 largest cities, it was followed by Chicago and Los Angeles. Smaller big cities primarily in the Sunbelt gained news residents. Those cities include Austin and Fort Worth in Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Columbus, Ohio.

Photo: FILE – The Manhattan skyline is seen from the observatory of the Empire State Building in New York City on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)