How Covid Affected the Largest US Metros
Here’s a look at how the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S. changed during the first full year of the pandemic, from mid-2020 to mid-2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released Thursday. The population estimates calculate births and deaths, as well as domestic and international migration.
NEW YORK CITY: The exodus from the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas was led by New York, which lost almost 328,000 residents. The decline was driven by people leaving for elsewhere in the U.S., even though the metro area gained new residents from abroad and births outpaced deaths. Its population dipped to 19.7 million residents.
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles lost almost 176,000 residents, the second biggest drop among U.S. metro areas. Like New York, births outnumbered deaths, and there was an increase in international residents. But it wasn’t even close enough to overcome the loss of tens of thousands of residents who moved away. Its population dropped to 12.9 million residents.
