SULLIVAN COUNTY – Sullivan County’s recent migration gains have leveled off after peaking during the pandemic-era years, according to a new report from Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress.

The county posted a net loss of 21 residents in the 2022-2023 reporting period, a shift from several years of growth. Data in the report show net gains building from 2015–2016 through a peak of 881 in 2020-2021, before declining to a loss of 55 in 2021-2022.

The report, based on Internal Revenue Service migration data, tracks population movement through tax returns and does not include changes from births, deaths or other population factors.

Sullivan County’s trajectory reflects a broader pattern seen across parts of the Hudson Valley during the pandemic, when increased remote work and housing demand drove in-migration to more rural counties, the report states. 

In 2019-2020, Sullivan posted a net gain of 765 residents—exceeding the region’s overall net migration gain of 629 that year, as losses in larger counties offset growth elsewhere.

That pattern was not unique to Sullivan. Counties including Dutchess, Greene and Ulster also recorded gains during that period, while more populous southern counties continued to lose residents.

In the most recent reporting period, however, nearly every county returned to net migration losses, with Ulster County the only exception. Ulster recorded a net gain of 279 residents in 2022-2023, partially offsetting declines elsewhere in the region.

Region wide, the Hudson Valley lost a net 10,174 residents to domestic migration in 2022-2023. Those losses were heavily concentrated in the southern part of the region. Westchester County alone accounted for more than half of the decline, with a net loss of 5,341 residents, while Rockland County contributed another 3,082-person loss. Orange County added a loss of 1,190 residents.

By comparison, Sullivan County accounted for only a small share of the regional migration loss, reinforcing its position as a relatively stable county within a region where population changes are driven largely by more populous areas.