Schenectady leads region's large cities with 7% population growth

CAPITAL REGION — Census 2010 figures for New York state show minimal growth in New York City over the past decade and population losses and gains in the largest upstate cities.

Census officials say New York City grew by 167,000 people to 8.2 million. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he believes census workers missed many immigrants and undercounted.

Buffalo lost 10.7 percent of its population, Rochester lost 4.2 percent and Syracuse lost 1.5 percent of its population.

It was a different story in the Capital Region. Schenectady gained 4,314 (7 percent), Albany gained 2,198 (2.3 percent) and Troy added 959 (2 percent) since 2000. Poughkeepsie and White Plains were the only cities among the top 20 to grow at a higher rate than Schenectady.

The 2010 numbers released today will be used to guide officials drawing New York’s congressional and state legislative districts for the next decade. New York’s current 29-member House delegation will drop to 27, its lowest level since 1823.

The U.S. Census Bureau in December reported that the state’s population grew slightly in the past decade to 19.4 million.

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