New York State Population 🤯 Why almost nobody lives in Upstate NY 🇺🇸

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Why is New York State's population distributed so unevenly? It's home to nearly 20 million people, making it the fourth most populous state in the US.

[00:00:09]The state is made up of 62 counties, and only these five contain over 40% of the entire state population, and together they form New York City itself. In Nassau [music] and Suffolk counties, known as Long Island, another roughly 15% of the population lives.

[00:00:24]Westchester, Rockland, and often Putnam counties are considered suburbs of New York City and are home to another 7% of the population. Together, these counties are known as downstate, while the rest is called upstate. This means that about 2/3 of the state's residents live on just 7% of its land area, while the remaining third is spread across the rest, making it feel almost empty.

[00:00:45]>> [music] >> Upstate has over 20 towns with populations under 1,000, and interestingly, in Hamilton County, the least populous county in the state, nearly the size of Delaware, there isn't a single traffic light. The thing is, upstate's geography is shaped by mountain vast forests, and countless lakes. The region has long, cold winters, and near the Great Lakes they become even harsher because of lake-effect snow. It's an incredibly scenic region, popular for recreation and tourism, but because New York State has some of the highest taxes in the US, living here on a lower income is more difficult. That's why many people choose areas with higher earning potential, since the economy, jobs, and transportation have historically been concentrated in the southern part of the state, [music] where the port, the Hudson River, and flat terrain created the conditions for a massive metropolitan area to grow.