The organization Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress based in Newburgh, which researches and reports on issues in the Hudson Valley, has issued two new reports that focus on two areas of concern for many people: the cost of housing and residents moving out of the area.
The report “Moving In, Moving Out” looks at the most recent data available from the federal government that shows the Hudson Valley lost more people to domestic migration than it gained in 2021, a transition year that included the first expansive rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, the end of many mask mandates, and a record number of home sales throughout the Hudson Valley region.
“The region lost a net of 12,257 people who moved to other counties and states in 2021. It was the region’s biggest loss since 2005, a year that saw thousands move from the Hudson Valley to New York City as part of a post-9/11 return to the metropolitan area,” the report said. “The loss of 12,257 people might not be felt in a region of more than 2 million, but the cumulative losses are becoming more statistically significant for the Hudson Valley. From 1996-2021, the region lost a net of 146,763 people to outward migration, a number that represents about 5% of our total population.”
Pattern for Progress said that previous studies showed three major demographic factors are putting stress on workforce availability in the Hudson Valley: outward migration, declining birth rates, and a growing wave of retirements among the baby boomer generation. The report said that outward migration affecting the Hudson Valley reflects a broader trend in New York state with federal data showing that New York lost a net of 224,781 people to migration in 2021.
The report “Out of Reach 2024” looks at housing costs in the Hudson Valley and found that hourly wages generally aren’t enough to pay current rents. The report found that although the average hourly wage of renters throughout the Hudson 
Valley has increased in every county since 2019, from 2023 to 2024 it dropped in seven counties: Columbia; Dutchess; Orange; Putnam; Rockland; Sullivan; and Westchester.
“Generally, the modest increase in hourly wages for renters since 2019 has barely kept pace with inflation,” the report said. “The rising cost of rent has far outpaced gains in hourly wages in the Hudson Valley over the past six years. As a consequence, even in counties with modest wage increases, renters throughout the region are paying a greater proportion of their total income toward housing costs.”
The report also concluded that home ownership was out of reach for many Hudson Valley residents and that people already owning single-family homes are building wealth that cannot be achieved by others who have been locked out of ownership.
