NEW YORK, USA (AFP) — New York City is now home to a record 8.34 million people, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week, emphasising that more people are moving in than out for the first time in six decades.

There were 8,336,697 million New Yorkers in April 2012, compared to 8,175,133 two years earlier -- a two per cent increase, the mayor said in making public the latest figures from the federal Census Bureau. The city accounts for a shade under 43 per cent of the overall population of the north-eastern state of New York, which, according to the Census Bureau's 2012 estimate, was 19,570,261.

New York is, by far, the most heavily populated US city -- well ahead of Los Angeles (3.7 million residents in 2010) and Chicago (2.7 million). It houses more than 42 per cent of the population of New York State.

"People are voting with their feet," said Bloomberg, highlighting improvements to "many indicators of quality of life," including low crime, high life expectancy, job growth and record tourism.

"For the first time since before 1950, more people are coming to New York City than leaving," the mayor enthused.

The population increase is seen most strongly in Brooklyn, the city's biggest borough, which saw a 2.4 per cent jump to 2.6 million residents, and in Manhattan, which saw a 2.1 per cent jump to 1.6 million residents.