Demographics of New York City

Population growth (blue) and population loss (red) from 1990 to 2000. (Click on image to see full key and data.)

The demographics of New York City depict a uniquely large and ethnically diverse metropolis, the largest city in the United States, with a population defined by a long history of international immigration. New York City is home to more than 8 million people, accounting for about 40% of the population of New York State and a similar percentage of the New York metropolitan area, home to about 20 million. Over the last decade the city has been growing faster than the region. Demographers estimate New York's population will reach 9.4 million by 2025.

Throughout its history New York City has been a major point of entry for immigrants; the term "melting pot" was first coined to describe densely populated immigrant neighborhoods on the Lower East Side. In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was foreign born.

Current demographics

Population

New York City compared
2000 Census Data	New York	LA	Chicago	New York State	United States
Total population	8,085,742	3,694,820	2,896,121	18,976,457	281,421,906
Population, percent change, 1990 to 2000	+9.4%	+6%	+4%	+5.5%	+13.1%
Population density	26,402.9/mi²	7,876.8/mi²	12,750.3/mi²	402/mi²	80/mi²
Median household income (1999)	$38,293	$36,687	$38,625	$43,393	$41,994
Per capita income (1999)	$22,402	$20,671	$20,175	$23,389	$21,587
Bachelor's degree or higher	27%	26%	26%	27%	24%
Foreign born	36%	41%	22%	20%	11%
White	44%	30%	31%	62%	69%
Black	28%	12%	37%	16%	12%
Hispanic (any race)	27%	46%	26%	15%	13%
Asian	10%	10%	4%	6%	4%

New York is the largest city in the United States, with a city proper population more than double the next largest city, Los Angeles (or roughly equivalent to the combined populations of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, America's second, third, and fourth most populous cities respectively). The estimated 2005 population of New York City is 8,213,839 (up from 7.3 million in 1990). This amounts to about 40% of New York State's population and a similar percentage of the metropolitan regional population. Over the last decade the city has been growing rapidly. Demographers estimate New York's population will reach between 9.2 and 9.5 million by 2030. In 2000 the life expectancy of New Yorkers surpassed that of the United States national average. Life expectancy for females born in 2000 in New York City is 80.2 years and for males is 74.5 years.

New York's two key demographic features are its density and diversity. The city has an extremely high population density of 26,403 people per square mile (10,194/km²), about 10,000 more people per square mile than the next densest large American city, San Francisco. Manhattan's population density is 66,940 people per square mile (25,846/km²).

The city has a long tradition of attracting international immigration and Americans seeking careers in certain sectors. As of 2006, New York City has ranked number one for seven consecutive years as the U.S. city people would most like to live in or near.

Immigration

Throughout its history New York City has been a principal entry point for immigration to the United States. The city experienced major immigration from Europe in the 19th century and another major wave in the early 20th. Since the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and particularly since the 1980s, New York City has seen renewed rates of high immigration. Newer immigrants are from from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. 36% of the city's population is foreign-born. Among American cities, this proportion is higher only in Los Angeles and Miami. While the immigrant communities in those cities are dominated by a few nationalities, in New York no single country or region of origin dominates. The ten largest countries of origin are the Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Guyana, Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia and Russia. About 170 languages are spoken in the city. Between 1990 and 2000 the city admitted 1,224,524 immigrants.

Ethnic composition

New York City is a minority-majority city. In 2005 44% of the population was white. 25.3% of the population was black or African American, 11.6% was Asian and 0.4% were American Indian. Another 17% belonged to some other race and 1.6% of New Yorkers belonged to more than one race. The city has several demographically unique characteristics. The borough of Queens is the only large county in the United States where the median income among black households, about $52,000 a year, has surpassed that of whites. It is also the nation's most ethnically diverse county.

The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. It is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation's South Asians, and the largest African American community of any city in the country. Among the most notable ethnicity is the Puerto Rican population, NYC has about 800,000 Puerto Ricans and has the largest Puerto Rican population outside of Puerto Rico. Another historically significant ethnic group are Italians, who emigrated to the city in large numbers in the early twentieth century, New York City is home to the largest Italian population in the US. The Irish also have a notable presence; one in 50 New Yorkers of European origin carry a distinctive genetic signature on their Y chromosomes inherited from Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish high king of the fifth century A.D.

% Foreign born by borough 1970-2000

Source: NYC.gov

Borough	1970	1980	1990	2000
Brooklyn	17.5	23.8	29.2	37.8
Queens	21.0	28.6	36.2	46.1
Manhattan	20.0	24.4	25.8	29.4
Bronx	15.6	18.4	22.8	29.0
Staten Island	9.0	9.8	11.8	16.4
Total	18.2	23.6	28.4	35.9

Households

The 2000 census counted 3,021,588 households with a median income of $38,293. 30% of households had children under the age of 18 and 37% were married couples living together. 19% had a single female householder, and 39% were non-families. 32% of all households were made up of individuals and 10% were single residents 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.32.

The population was spread out with 24% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 21% from 45 to 64, and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The median age in New York City in 2000 was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86 males.

The borough of Manhattan is experiencing a baby boom that is unique among American cities. Since 2000, the number of children under age 5 living in Manhattan grew by more than 32%. The increase is driven mostly by affluent white families with median household incomes over $300,000.

Income

1999 per capita income was not uniform across the boroughs. Family income was much higher in each borough.

Overall, the distribution of household income in New York City is characterized by tremendous disparities. This phenomenon is especially present in Manhattan, which in 2005 was home to the wealthiest census tract with a household income of $188,697, as well as the poorest, where household income was $9,320. The disparity is driven by wage growth in high income brackets. In 2006 the average weekly wage in Manhattan was $1,453, the highest among the largest counties in the United States. Wages in Manhattan were the fastest growing among the nation's 10 largest counties. Among young adults in New York who work full time, women now make more than men. In 2005 those women made $5,000 more than men. Nationally, women’s wages still lag behind men.

Overall, Manhattan is one of the highest-income places in the United States with a population over one million. In particular, ZIP code 10021 on Manhattan's Upper East Side, with over 100,000 inhabitants and a per capita income of over $90,000, is one of the largest concentrations of extreme wealth in the United States. The outer boroughs, especially Queens and Staten Island, have large middle class populations.

New York City's per capita income in 2000 was $22,402; men and women had a median income of $37,435 and $32,949 respectively. 21.2% of the population and 18.5% of families were below the poverty line, of whom 30.0% were under the age of 18 and 17.8% were 65 and older.

The richest New Yorker, oil magnate David H. Koch, is worth an estimated $12 billion. The poorest New Yorkers, 1.5 million people with incomes below the poverty line, are collectively worth less than Mr. Koch's net worth. Of Forbes Magazine's 400 richest Americans, 45 live in New York City, and they are each worth at least $1 billion.

New York City's unemployment rate in October of 2006 was 4.1%, lower than the nationwide rate of 4.4%.

Religions

Religious groups in New York City

Source: ARDA

Borough	Population 2000 census	% Catholic	% not affiliated	% Jewish	% Protestant	Estimated % Not Counted, Mostly Black Protestant
Brooklyn	2,465,326	37	4	15	8	33
Queens	2,229,379	29	37	11	5	15
Manhattan	1,593,200	35	14	20	9	19
Bronx	1,357,589	43	16	6	5	29
Staten Island	464,573	57	15	7	5	14
Total	8,110,067	37	18	13	6	23

Population projections

New York has had the highest population among American cities since the first census in 1790. Growth forecasts project New York will maintain this position. The Department of City Planning estimates the city's residents will swell from 8.1 million in 2004 to nearly 9.4 million in 2025. Similar estimates are made by Urbanomics, a consultant to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, an intergovernmental planning group. Their study projects that by 2025, the Bronx will be home to 1.5 million people and Brooklyn to 2.8 million. This would mean both boroughs would surpass their mid twentieth century population peaks. Queens will have 2.8 million people, the study says, and Staten Island nearly 600,000; records for both boroughs. Manhattan, with 1.7 million, will still be short of the more than two million people who lived there early in the twentieth century, many in densely packed tenements.

The Urbanomics projections estimate a continuing decline of non-Hispanic whites, although births will again outnumber deaths among non-Hispanic whites after 2010; the number of black residents will also begin to decline in 2015. Hispanics and Asians will drive overall population growth until 2025; New York's population is then expected to expand more slowly, to nearly 9.5 million in 2030. That would represent a 16% increase from 2004.

According to Urbanomics, between 2025 and 2030 among Asians the total of births over deaths will more than double. The projections also expect the net migration to New York — people arriving versus leaving — will more than triple. New York's economic makeup is also projected to change, becoming generally wealthier; 36% of households are expected to earn more than $100,000 in 2025 compared with 14% now after adjusting for inflation.

Historic population figures

New York City's population with each borough's, in millions. New York City, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island

Each borough's historical population growth, decade over decade. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island

Historical Population of New York City pre-Greater New York City
Year	Manhattan	Brooklyn	Queens*	Bronx**	Staten Is.	Total
1790	33,111	4,549	6,000	2,000	3,827	49,487
1800	60,489	5,740	7,000	2,000	4,563	79,792
1810	96,373	8,303	7,000	3,000	5,347	120,023
1820	123,706	11,187	8,000	3,000	6,135	152,028
1830	202,589	20,535	9,000	3,000	7,082	242,206
1840	312,710	47,613	14,000	5,000	10,965	390,288
1850	515,547	138,882	19,000	8,000	15,061	696,490
1860	813,669	279,122	33,000	24,000	25,492	1,175,283
1870	942,292	419,921	45,000	37,000	33,029	1,477,242
1880	1,206,299	599,495	57,000	52,000	38,991	1,953,785
1890	1,515,301	838,547	87,000	89,000	51,693	2,581,541
1900***	1,850,093	1,166,582	152,999	200,507	67,021	3,437,202
1910	2,331,542	1,634,351	284,041	430,980	85,969	4,766,883
1920	2,284,103	2,018,356	469,042	732,016	116,531	5,620,048
1930	1,867,312	2,560,401	1,079,129	1,265,258	158,346	6,930,446
1940	1,889,924	2,698,285	1,297,634	1,394,711	174,441	7,454,995
1950	1,960,101	2,738,175	1,550,849	1,451,277	191,555	7,891,957
1960	1,698,281	2,627,319	1,809,578	1,424,815	221,991	7,781,984
1970	1,539,233	2,602,012	1,986,473	1,471,701	295,443	7,894,862
1980	1,428,285	2,230,936	1,891,325	1,168,972	352,121	7,071,639
1990	1,487,536	2,300,664	1,951,598	1,203,789	378,977	7,322,564
2000	1,537,195	2,465,326	2,229,379	1,332,650	443,728	8,008,278
* Queens County excluding modern day Nassau County. ** Bronx County excluding modern day Westchester County. *** First census after the consolidation of the five boroughs..

Major ethnic and national groups

African Americans and foreign born blacks

125th Street in Harlem, an African American cultural center.

According to the 2000 Census, New York City has the largest population of self-defined African-American residents of any US city, at over 2 million within the city's boundaries. Due to the city's large black population, several of the city's neighborhoods are historical birthplaces of urban black culture in America namely places such as Bedford Stuyvesant, Harlem, and the South Bronx. It has the largest population of black immigrants (at 568,814) and descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean (especially from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Bahamas, Dominican republic, and Haiti), and of sub-Saharan Africans. An April 3, 2006 New York Times article noted, however, that for the first time since the U.S. Civil War, the African-American population was declining, based on emigration to other regions, a declining African-American birthrate in New York, and decreased immigration of blacks from the Caribbean and Africa.

In 2005, the median income among black households in Queens was close to $52,000 a year, surpassing that of whites. No other county in the country with a population over 65,000 can make that claim.

Chinese

See also: Chinese American and Chinatown, Manhattan.

Falun Gong followers medidating in a Chinatown plaza.

Like other Chinatown districts in American cities, the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan is an ethnic enclave with a large population of Chinese immigrants.

By the 1980s, it had surpassed San Francisco's Chinatown to become the largest enclave of Chinese immigrants in the Western hemisphere, but in the last few years it too has been outgrown by the lesser-known but larger New York City Chinatown community in nearby Flushing, Queens.

• Chinatown, Manhattan, New York
• Flushing, Queens, New York
• Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York

South Asian

According to 2005 American Community Survey Estimates, New York City is home to approximately 275,000 persons from the countries of India (226,587), Pakistan (34,310), Bangladesh (18,825), and Sri Lanka (1,094), and comprise a combined 3.5% of New York City's population. A majority of them are concentrated in Queens neighborhoods such as Richmond Hills, Kew Gardens, Jackson Heights, and Ozone Park. In the borough of Queens, the South Asian population is approximately 170,000, where they comprise 8% of the population.

German

See also: German Americans

Heavy German immigration to the United States occurred between 1848 and World War I, during which time nearly 6 million Germans immigrated to the U.S. The Germans became widespread throughout the Northern half of the country, especially the Midwestern states. Today German-Americans are the largest self-reported ethnic group in the United States.

Carl Schurz, a refugee from the unsuccessful first German democratic revolution of 1848, served as United States Secretary of the Interior and as United States Senator from Missouri. Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan is named after him.

The influence of German immigration can still be felt in areas of New York City. The Yorkville neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan was a center of German-American culture. As of the 2000 census 255,536 New Yorkers reported German ancestry.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Little Germany, in what is now Alphabet City, was the first non-English speaking urban enclave in the United States.

Irish

Main article: Irish Americans in New York City

The Irish community is one of New York's major ethnic groups, and has been a significant proportion of the City's population since the waves of immigration in the late 1800s. New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade dates to 1762.

As a result of the Irish Potato Famine, many Irish families were forced to emigrate from the country. By 1854, between 1.5 and 2 million Irish left their country. In the United States, most Irish became city-dwellers. With little money, many had to settle in the cities that the ships they came on landed in. By 1850, the Irish made up a quarter of the population in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The Irish play a significant role in city politics, the Roman Catholic Church and the New York City Fire Department and Police Department. As of the 2000 census 420,810 New Yorkers reported Irish ancestry.

According to a 2006 genetic survey by Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, about one in 50 New Yorkers of European origin carry a distinctive genetic signature on their Y chromosomes inherited from Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish high king of the fifth century A.D.

• Woodlawn, Bronx, New York
• Woodside, Queens, New York
• Maspeth, Queens, New York
• Sunnyside, Queens, New York
• North Riverdale, Bronx
• Riverdale, Bronx
• Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
• Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn
• Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
• Belle Harbor, Queens
• Breezy Point, Queens
• Sunnyside, Queens
• Rockaway Beach, Queens
• Roxbury, Queens
• Woodside, Queens
• St. George, Staten Island

Italian

See also: Italian-American

Street vendors at the Feast of San Gennaro in Manhattan's Little Italy.

New York City has a large population of Italian Americans, many of whom inhabit ethnic enclaves in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

The largest wave of Italian immigration to the United States took place in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Between 1820 and 1978, 5.3 million Italians immigrated to the United States, including over two million in the years 1900-1910 alone. Only the Irish and Germans immigrated in larger numbers. Italian families first settled in Little Italy's neighborhoods, the first and most famous one being the one around Mulberry Street, in Manhattan. As of the 2000 census 692,739 New Yorkers reported Italian ancestry, making them the largest European ethnic group in the city. New York metropolitan area is home to 3,372,512 Italians, which is the third largest concentration in the world after Milan and Rome metropolitan areas.

In some Italian-American communities, Saint Joseph's Day (March 19) is marked with celebrations and parades. Columbus Day is also widely celebrated in these communities, as are the feasts of some regional Italian patron saints, most notably Feast of San Gennaro (September 19) by those claiming Neapolitan heritage, and Santa Rosalia (September 4) by Sicilians.

• Arthur Avenue (Bronx), New York
• Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York
• Morris Park, Bronx, New York
• Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York
• Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York
• Mulberry Street, Manhattan (New York's Little Italy)
• Pleasant Avenue, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York
• Howard Beach, Queens, New York
• Staten Island, New York

Polish

File:Parada4.jpg

Pulaski Day Parade in New York City, major Polish-American festival

Polish-Americans live in the city generally in Brooklyn (Greenpoint and Williamsburg). The neighborhood is sometimes referred to as "Little Poland" due to its large population of working-class Polish immigrants, reportedly the second largest concentration in the United States after Chicago. As of the 2000 census 213,447 New Yorkers reported Polish ancestry.

Polish-American culture, press

In New York are many of Polish and Polish-American cultural, community and scientific institutions, include:

• Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
• Polish Cultural Institute
• New York Dance & Arts Innovations Inc.

In NYC Polish-Americans publish many important Polish media in America, include:

• The Polish Review, an English-language scholarly journal published quarterly since 1956 by PIASA.
• Nowy Dziennik[1], the leading Polish-language daily newspaper in the U.S. founded in 1971.
• Kurier Plus[2], a Polish-language weekly magazine makes in Greenpoint founded in 1987.
• The Post Eagle[3], English-language Polonia's leading independent weekly founded in 1963. The magazine has subrscribers in 4 countries and 46 U.S. states.
• The White Eagle[4], a double-language (Polish and English) bimonthly magazine, the largest Polish-American periodical based on the number of local editions and its reach. The newspaper is currently published in six local editions including: New England, Connecticut, Florida, Arizona / Nevada, Pennsylvania and West Coast.
• Super Express USA[5], a Polish-language daily newspaper founded in 1995. The newspaper's seat is located in Corbin Building, at John Street, Manhattan.
• Polska Gazeta[6], a Polish-language daily newspaper with headquarters in Brooklyn. The paper is available in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Circulation averages 12,000 copies a day from Monday to Friday and exceeds 17,000 for combined Sat/Sun (weekend) edition.

Jewish

See also: American Jews

Two girls wearing banners with the slogan "ABOLISH CHILD SLAVERY!!" in English and Yiddish. Probably taken during the May 1st, 1909 New York labor parade.

The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel. New York's Jewish population in 2001 was approximately 1.97 million, 1.4 million more than in Jerusalem but 600,000 less than in Gush Dan, Israel's largest metropolitan area; however, Tel Aviv proper (non-metro/within municipal limits) has smaller population than the Jewish population of New York City proper, making New York the largest Jewish community in the world.[ In 2002, an estimated 972,000 Ashkenazic Jews lived in New York City and constituted about 12% of the city's population. New York City is also home to the worldwide headquarters of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch group and the Bobover and Satmar branches of Hasidism.

The Jewish presence in New York City dates to the 1600s when a Jewish community relocated from Recife seeking freedom of worship. Major immigration of Jews to New York started in the 1880s, with the increase of antisemitism in Central and Eastern Europe. The number of Jews in New York City soared throughout the beginning of the 20th century and reached a peak of 2 million in the 1950s, when Jews constituted one-quarter of the city's population. New York City's Jewish population then began to decline because of low fertility rates and migration to suburbs and other states, particularly California and Florida. A new wave of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union began arriving in the 1980s and 1990s. Many have settled in south Brooklyn and in parts of the Bronx; specifically middle-class neighborhoods, such as Riverdale.

The first Jewish immigrants settled mainly in the tenement houses of the Lower East Side. Today New York City's Jewish population is dispersed among all the boroughs; Brooklyn's Jewish population in 2003 was estimated 456,000, and Manhattan's at 243,000.

While a quarter of New York Jews are not religious, the Orthodox community is rapidly growing, while the numbers of Conservative and Reform Jews are declining.

Like the Irish, the Jewish community has played an important role in New York City's politics; Jewish voters traditionally vote in large numbers and have often supported politically liberal ideas.

Romanian

The Romanian community of New York is the largest in United States and North America, with unofficial figures showing 200,000 Romanians in New York. They are mainly concentrated in the Bronx as well as in parts of Manhattan and Staten Island. The Romanian Day Festival shows the strong community of Romanians living in New York, because it is one of the only seven emigrant communities in NY that has the Broadway closed.

Puerto Rican

Further information: [[:Puerto Rican migration to New York]]

The 2005 National Puerto Rican Parade.

Puerto Ricans have both immigrated and migrated to New York. The first group of Puerto Ricans moved to New York in the mid 19th Century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish Colony and its people Spanish subjects and therefore they were immigrants. The following wave of Puerto Ricans to move to New York did so after the Spanish-American War, when Puerto Rico became an American possession and after the approval of the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 which gave Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship and allowed them to travel without the need of a passport between the island and the United States mainland, thereby becoming migrants. However, the largest wave of migration came about in the 1950s in what became known as "The Great Migration" with the advent of air travel. As a result of the great migration more than a million Puerto Ricans once called New York City home. Now the Puerto Rican population is around 800,000 and New York City still has the largest Puerto Rican population outside of Puerto Rico.

See also

• Demographics of The Bronx
• Demographics of Brooklyn
• Demographics of Manhattan
• Demographics of Queens
• Demographics of Staten Island
• Crime in New York City

External links

• New York City Department of City Planning Population Division [7]
• New York City Department of City Planning Census Fact Finder [8]
• The Newest New Yorkers, 2000, by the NYC Population Division, uses Census information and other federal and local data to take a detailed look at the origins, spatial settlement, and other characteristics of the foreign-born population in New York City and in the larger metropolitan region.[9]
• http://www.muninetguide.com/index.php