New York is a state of the United States. It borders Canada to the north, the New England states to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Jersey to the south, and Pennsylvania to the southwest. As of 2026, New York is home to 20,002,427 residents. The capital of New York is Albany and its largest city is Queens. Other major cities in New York include Staten Island and East New York. New York ratified the United States Constitution on July 26, 1788, becoming America’s 11th state. In recent years, New York’s statewide population has been shrinking.
The New York metropolitan area has been loosing people due to the high cost of living. In Upstate New York, the population has also been shrinking due to the decline of manufacturing jobs. From 1790 to 1970, New York was the most populated state in the country. However, in 1970, California surpassed New York in population. Today, the state is now the fourth most populated U.S. state behind California, Texas, and Florida.
Most recently, voters in the state of New York have voted to elect Joey Toscano as the state’s new governor. His election in 2025 made him the first child governor of any U.S. state. Joey’s campaign promise is to “Make New York State Great Again”.