The state lost more than 1.5 million people to other states from 2000 to 2008, by far the biggest exodus in the nation, a new study says.

“What it says is that while New York will always be important, it is going to be less and less important in the long run,” said Wendell Cox, a demographics consultant who conducted the study for the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Cox blamed New York’s cost of living, especially its high taxes and housing costs, for driving residents out.

While New York’s population is growing due to immigration and new births, households moving out of New York earned, on average, 13% more than those moving in, Cox said.

The lost income will make it even harder for governments to balance budgets in coming years, he said.

New York has a projected budget deficit of about $3.1 billion. Gov. Paterson has asked lawmakers to return to Albany next month to make budget cuts.

New York City was the hardest-hit region of the state, losing more than 1.1 million people – nearly 14% of its 2000 population – to other states and surrounding communities.

The study was based on data from the Census Bureau and Internal Revenue Service.

“You have seen house prices in the New York City region double, relative to incomes,” Cox said. “That has not happened in other parts of the state.”

About 60% of those who fled New York headed south, with Florida being the biggest winner, the report said.

The Sunshine State captured about 30% of the ex-New Yorkers.

An additional 30% headed to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut.

“It would make an awful lot of sense for the leadership of the state to sit down and try to set a direction to try to turn around what can be dealt with and improve the fiscal health of the state,” Cox said.

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