New York projected to lose 2 seats in Congress, new data shows

And fears remain high for New York's farmers, the state's agriculture commissioner said.

Good afternoon — It’s Tuesday and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• New York’s population held stable over the year ending in last July but that’s not necessarily good news, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.

• New York’s agriculture commissioner said fears remain high among New York’s farmers over immigration raids.

• A federal judge has chosen who will work with New York City to improve conditions at Rikers Island.

• The Senate and Assembly have both released their statutorily required analyses of Hochul’s budget.

• Here’s what’s happening at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

• A new bill seeks to crack down on predatory practices from payday lenders.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Jonathan Cervas, Jeff Wice, Jeremy Cooney, Michaelle Solages, Donald J. Trump, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Nicholas Deml, Zohran Mamdani, Laura Taylor Swain, Richard J. Durbin, Amanda Lefton, Rory Christian, Doreen Harris, Justin Driscoll, Luis Sepulveda, Steven Raga, Louis Ciminelli

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🚨 Event with Gov. Kathy Hochul: We’re hosting a live conversation with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 2 next month in the Albany area. If you’re a paid subscriber to CapCon, you can find the link to RSVP below in today’s newsletter.

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File photo (Mike Groll/Times Union)

📊 New York ranked 45th in population growth in 2025, new census data shows

New York’s population held steady over the year ending in July 2025, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

It actually increased, which can not always be said for New York. The state’s population went up by 1,008 people over that period. That’s not nothing but it’s such a small increase that it registers as less than a tenth of 1% in growth.

It’s the third consecutive year that the Census Bureau has recorded an increase in New York’s population, albeit a small one. The tally in the latest data puts New York’s population at 20,002,427.

That means it could be worse for New York in terms of the state’s population growth. But in at least one regard, it literally could not be worse for New York.

While the state’s population hasn’t declined in three years, it remains much lower than it was in 2020. Between April of that year and July 2025, New York’s population declined by a net 201,269 people.

That’s a large enough decline that the Census Bureau ranked New York dead last among all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in terms of population growth over the last five years ending in July 2025.

New York’s ranking in population growth was better if you look just at the last year ending in July. But the state was still near the bottom of that list, ranking 45th among all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

But there’s a silver lining. New York remains the fourth largest state in the country. It’ll most likely remain in that spot; the next-largest state is Pennsylvania, which has a population of about 13 million.

That’s where the good news for New York ends unfortunately.