More move in than out of NYC; 1st time in decades

Mayor Michael Bloomberg cheered the reversal as a sign of the city's quality of life Thursday. The finding comes from new census estimates.

"For the first time since before 1950, more people are coming to New York City than leaving," said Mayor Bloomberg. "We have many indicators of quality of life in the city – record low crime, record high tourism, record high life expectancy, record high graduation rates, record job growth and more – but there's no better indication of the strength of our city than a record high population and a net population influx. People are voting with their feet."

Overall, the city's estimated population has grown by more than 161,500 people since 2010. It's at a record high of 8.3 million.

The growth is also due to a growing gap between births and deaths as life expectancy increases.

Many major American cities' populations began to shrink as suburbs grew after World War II. The decline became especially sharp in the 1970s.

Bloomberg says the all-time high population and net influx of residents is one of a number of recent measures that show quality of life in New York City is better than ever:

Record Lows

Murders: 419 in 2012

Shootings: 1,353 in 2012

Incarceration rates: 474 inmates per 100,000 residents in New York City in 2011

Teen pregnancy: 72.6 pregnancies per 1,000 girls in 2010

Emergency response times: Six minutes and 30 seconds in 2012

Fire fatalities: 58 in 2012

Record Highs

Private-sector jobs:3.2 million

Life expectancy: Average of 80.9 years

Tourists: 52 million in 2012

High school graduation rate: 65 percent

Percentage of New Yorkers who live within a 10-minute walk of a park: 76 percent