Mineola and Riverhead and Southold towns combined — between 2017 and 2022, a trend fueled by younger Islanders fleeing for other states, according to a report released Thursday.
While Long Island continues to have an interstate migration deficit of nearly 38,000 residents annually, those numbers are offset partially by a surge of New Yorkers moving to Nassau and Suffolk from other parts of the state. They are predominantly coming from the five boroughs, data from the U.S. Census and analyzed by the Long Island Association’s Research Institute shows.
A region’s population can fluctuate from a host of factors, including the difference between birth and death rates and the balance of new immigrants arriving or departing. But domestic migration tends to be the most volatile indicator and the one most prone to economic, social and political conditions, researchers said.
Seniors relocating to Florida and elsewhere in their retirement reflect a small portion of out-of-state movers, the report shows.
“There’s a significant portion of people who are leaving, quite frankly, because they just don’t think they’ll ever own a home in a place like Long Island and are seeking a better cost of living,” said Seth Forman, director of the LIA Research Institute.
John Cameron, chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, said many young people relocate to the region for the higher wages but get “sticker shock’” when faced with housing prices.
“The salaries look attractive, but when they come here, they go, ‘I can’t afford to live here,’ ” said Cameron, who would like to see the region increase its rental stock. “It’s a real challenge.”
Read the full article in Newsday.
