The last 50 years has seen an exodus of New Yorkers leaving the state. That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the Empire Center for Public Policy, which found a net 7.3 million residents left the state since 1960. And in the last 10 years alone, the state lost a net 1.6 million.

“This is a key barometer of New York’s attractiveness a place to live and work and do business. So if you’re losing people decade after decade, you’re doing something wrong or some combination of things wrong,” said EJ McMahon of the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Though New York’s population did increases since 2000, it hasn’t grown as fast as other states. That’s resulted in declining political clout for New York, a state that once had 45 congressional districts. New York will lose two more seats in the House of Representatives next year, bringing its total to 27. Private-sector investment in a state once known for its innovation has lagged.

“It’s a sort of cascading effect where the overall economy encourages many people to lose elsewhere looking for opportunity,” said Bob Ward of the Rockefeller Institute for Public Policy.

New York, however, has been spared the worst of the most recent recession compared to other states and the upstate region has been spared huge job losses. But the numbers don’t tell the full story.

“That’s not because the upstate economy is booming, it tends be because there’s fewer people in upstate New York hanging around, looking for work,” McMahon said.

Blame has been cast on the state’s generally poor business climate, crumbling public infrastructure and high taxes. There is some good news. New York’s greatest strength is its steady influx of immigrants, says Bob Ward of the Rockefeller Institute.

“New York, more than most states, really gains from international immigration. We see hundreds of thousands of people coming through New York City, but some of them moving upstate. And particularly for cities from Albany to Syracuse to Buffalo and everywhere in between, we need more people,” Ward said.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, has made job creation a major priority. This month, he unveiled the regional economic development councils that must compete for up to $1 billion in grants in exchange for job-creation plans. The goal, Cuomo says, is to end the New York exodus.

“We want plans that work. This is taxpayers’ money and it is investment in the state. And we want the money that we invest to reap dividends and want plans that actually produce jobs and keep people here,” said Cuomo.

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