Census Says NYC's Population Went Down...

The U.S. Census released its latest populations estimates yesterday, and New York City lawmakers freaked out. Apparently, NYC saw a decrease, from 8,109,626 to a current (as of July 2004) 8,104,079; though there were population increases in the Bronx and Manhattan, decreases in Brooklyn and Queens led to the net decrease. Any total decrease affects the amount of money the government distributes for housing subsidies and other aid. And the city has had a history of successfully challenging the Census' numbers before. The head of the City Planning office's population division told the NY Times, "Everyone who studies New York's demographics knows you don't get big increases in Staten Island and substantial increases in Bronx and Manhattan, and no increase in Brooklyn and Queens, which lead the city in immigration and new housing," but a Queens College demographer wonders if the Census numbers are "finally reflecting September 11." So, that might mean the population increase many New Yorkers feel today (as evinced by the crazy housing market) will only be reflected in, like, 2009. That sounds about right for a government agency.

Of course Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz takes umbrage at the preposterous idea that people would have left Brooklyn. Here are some fun maps (all PDFS), using 2000 Census numbers, that show population density in the five boroughs. Get your population on by checking out tables from the Census Bureau.