New Yorkers Stem Tide To Florida

"Some 257,000 people moved away (from New York State) between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2008, the analysis from Queens College showed It was the first time the number dipped below 300,000 since the Census Bureau began measuring the annual flows in 1982."

When in-migration is considered, net loss dropped to 126,000.

"Florida, which saw a significant drop in its annual influx of New Yorkers, lost more people to other states - nearly 10,000 more - than it gained for the first time in recent history.

The collapse of home values across the country appears to have already profoundly affected the ability of people in many states, including New York, to sell their homes and move, curtailing domestic migration.

More people who normally might move - potential retirees and job-seekers - stayed put, in part because they could not afford to sell their houses and apartments; and fewer moved to traditional retirement and job centers in Sun Belt states.

California also faced an anomaly in the most recent data: for the first time since the early 1990s, more people moved out of California than out of New York."