BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — People keep moving away from New York. According to the 2019 Census Bureau population estimate, New York State lost more people than any other state in the county over the past year. An Empire Center analysis of the data shows nearly 1.4 million people left over the past decade. So what makes millennials from across the country move to Buffalo?
James Frahm, 23, moved to Buffalo from California for his job, but said the affordability factor is what makes living in Buffalo so desirable.
"That's one of the biggest positives about Buffalo is the cost of living, especially housing cost," he said. "You can get a great house for very cheap."
Jack McCauley is President of the Buffalo Junior Chamber of Commerce, an organization for people under 40. He said many of the group's members come for school or a temporary job, but ende up staying permanently.
"As soon as they got here they realized why would I go anywhere else," he said.
How does Buffalo differ from the rest of the state? According to Data USA, the median age in Buffalo is about six years younger than the rest of the state (32.9 years old vs. 38.7 years old). Additionally the employment growth rate was 12.4% growth for Buffalo vs. 1.58% growth for the rest of the state in 2016-17.
The population estimate from the Census Bureau doesn't have a city by city breakdown, but Mayor Byron Brown has predicted Buffalo will see a population increase on the 2020 census.
