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Demographic history of New York City

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Map depicting NYC's density c.1900 on a sliding scale from 1,000 to 150,000 people per square mile. Areas with less than 1,000 per square mile are excluded. Interactive Map
People waiting to cross Fifth Avenue

The racial and ethnic history of New York City has varied widely; from its sale to the Dutch by Native American residents, to the modern multi-cultural period.

Poster from 1907:
The many ways in which New Yorkers say "Merry Christmas" or its equivalent;
in Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, Flemish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Yiddish (labeled as "Christian Hebrew"), Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
"Gotham's citizens have been called "The Sons of Elsewhere", and their language that spoken at the Tower of Babel..."

New York City has had a largely white population, and most foreign born immigrants to the city before the end of World War II were from Europe. However, this changed in the decades after World War II, when all of the boroughs became more diverse, and when immigration from places outside Europe was increased largely due to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

Overview[edit]

See also: Race and ethnicity in New York City

The population of New York City was over 90% Non-Hispanic White until the post-World War II era.[1] Large numbers of Blacks, Hispanics, or Asians began settling in Manhattan in the 1920s and in the rest of NYC after World War II.[1] The slowest area in the city to change its racial makeup was Staten Island, which was the only borough of New York City to retain a Non-Hispanic White majority after the 1980s.[1] Between 1900 and 2010, New York City's total Black population increased by about thirty-five times, while its Asian population increased by over one-hundred-and-fifty times over the same period.[1] The large Black migration to New York City helped cause the Harlem Renaissance, a rich cultural period for the African Americans living in New York (especially in Harlem neighborhood, the namesake) between the end of World War I and the Great Depression. New York's Hispanic population increased by almost twenty times between 1940 and 2010, while its total Non-Hispanic White population decreased by over 60% over the same time period.[1]

New York's five boroughs have had different settlement histories. The Bronx and Brooklyn were the most popular destinations for Blacks to settle, while Queens was the most popular destination for Asian migrants to NYC and the Bronx was the most popular destination for Hispanic migrants to move to.[1] New York City's total population more than doubled between 1900 and 2010 (with a period of population stagnation between 1950 and 1990).[1] The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island experienced enormous population growth between 1900 and 2010, much higher than New York's average population growth.[1] Brooklyn's population grew at a much slower rate during this time period, while Manhattan actually had fewer people in 2010 than in 1900.[1]

New York City has always had a much greater percentage of immigrants as part of its total population than the whole United States has.[2][3] Right before World War I over 40% of New York City's total population was composed of immigrants.[2] After immigration restrictions were passed in the 1920s, immigrants as a percentage of New York's total population dropped to 18% in 1970, before rebounding back up to 36% in 2000.[2] The recorded increase in the city's immigrant percentage after 1970 occurred after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 (which took effect in 1968) and at a time when a greater number of immigrants than before were coming to the United States.[2][4] Most of the earlier immigrants to New York City were from Europe (initially from Western Europe, and then more from Eastern Europe).[5] A large percentage of the immigrants that came to New York City after 1965 were from non-European countries.[5] Large numbers of Irish people arrived in New York City during the Great Famine in the 1840s, while Germans, Italians, Jews, and other European ethnic groups arrived in NYC mostly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[5] Because of the abolition of the National Origins Formula, a large percentage of the immigrants that came to New York City after 1965 were from non-European countries.[5] Of the immigrants in the state, about three million live in New York City.[6] The number of immigrants living in New York City increased only slightly from 2000 to 2011, with an increase from 2,871,032 to 3,066,599 residents being born outside the United States.[7]: 10 

Citywide[edit]

During the early 20th century, from 1900 to 1940, New York City's population was predominantly White, accounting for over 93% of the population, with the Black community constituting less than 3%. By the 1950s, the White population decreased to around 90%, while the Black population increased to nearly 10%. From 1970 to 1980, more pronounced shifts occurred, with the White population dropping to 60.72%, the Black population increasing to 25.23%, and a notable rise in the Hispanic/Latino population to 19.88%. The 1990s brought further diversification, with the White population falling to 44.66% by 2000, and growth in the Black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino populations. The most recent decade from 2010 to 2020 saw a continued decrease in the White population to 34.09%, significant growth in the Asian population to 15.73%, stability in the Black population around 22-25%, and growth in the Hispanic/Latino community to 28.29%. The Other or Mixed category also grew to 28.11%. Throughout this period, New York City remained a hub for immigrants, with the foreign-born population peaking at 37.51% in 2010. Overall, these trends reflect the transformation of New York City into an increasingly multicultural metropolis, with a progressive decline in the White population and expanding representation of Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, and Other or Mixed groups.[1][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 3,437,202 3,369,898 98.04 N/A N/A 60,666 1.76 6,607 0.19 31 0 N/A N/A 1,270,080 36.95
1910 4,766,883 4,669,162 97.95 N/A N/A 91,709 1.92 5,669 0.12 343 0.01 N/A N/A 1,944,357 40.79
1920 5,620,048 5,459,463 97.14 N/A N/A 152,467 2.71 7,969 0.14 149 0 N/A N/A 2,028,160 36.09
1930 6,930,446 6,589,377 95.08 N/A N/A 327,706 4.73 12,972 0.19 391 0.01 N/A N/A 2,358,686 34.03
1940 7,454,995 6,977,501 93.59 6,856,586 91.97 458,444 6.15 17,986 0.24 1,064 0.01 120,915 1.62 2,138,657 28.69
1950 7,891,957 7,116,441 90.17 N/A N/A 747,608 9.47 21,441 0.27 6,467 0.08 N/A N/A 1,784,206 22.61
1960 7,781,984 6,640,662 85.33 N/A N/A 1,087,931 13.98 43,103 0.55 10,288 0.13 N/A N/A 1,558,690 20.03
1970 7,894,862 6,048,841 76.62 4,969,749 62.95 1,668,115 21.13 94,499 1.20 83,407 1.06 1,278,630 16.20 1,437,058 18.20
1980 7,071,639 4,294,075 60.72 3,668,945 51.88 1,784,337 25.23 231,501 3.27 761,762 10.77 1,406,024 19.88 1,670,199 23.62
1990 7,322,564 3,827,088 52.26 3,163,125 43.20 2,102,512 28.71 512,719 7.00 880,245 12.02 1,783,511 24.36 2,082,931 28.45
2000 8,008,278 3,576,385 44.66 2,801,267 34.98 2,129,762 26.59 792,477 9.90 1,509,654 18.85 2,160,554 26.98 2,871,032 35.85
2010 8,175,133 3,597,341 44.00 2,722,904 33.31 2,088,510 25.55 1,043,535 12.77 1,445,747 17.68 2,336,076 28.58 3,066,599 37.51
2020 8,804,190 3,000,945 34.09 2,719,856 30.89 1,943,645 22.08 1,385,144 15.73 2,474,456 28.11 2,490,350 28.29 N/A[A] N/A

A Foreign-born population data from 2020 Census not yet available (as of Sept 2021).

By borough[edit]

The Bronx[edit]

  • Children playing on sidewalk in 1973
    Children playing on sidewalk in 1973
  • Traveling public library in 1938
    Traveling public library in 1938
  • The Hub in 2007
    The Hub in 2007
Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 200,507 197,923 98.71 N/A N/A 2,370 1.18 208 0.10 6 0 N/A N/A 61,258 30.55
1910 430,980 426,650 99.00 N/A N/A 4,117 0.96 189 0.04 24 0.01 N/A N/A 149,427 34.67
1920 732,016 726,990 99.31 N/A N/A 4,803 0.66 215 0.03 8 0 N/A N/A 267,742 36.58
1930 1,265,258 1,251,823 98.94 N/A N/A 12,930 1.02 476 0.04 29 0 N/A N/A 479,451 37.89
1940 1,394,711 1,370,319 98.25 N/A N/A 23,529 1.69 801 0.06 62 0 N/A N/A 463,453 33.23
1950 1,451,277 1,351,662 93.14 N/A N/A 97,752 6.74 1,249 0.09 614 0.04 N/A N/A 373,894 25.76
1960 1,424,815 1,256,284 88.17 N/A N/A 163,896 11.50 3,544 0.25 1,091 0.08 N/A N/A 306,592 21.52
1970 1,471,701 1,080,859 73.44 N/A N/A 357,681 24.30 7,792 0.53 25,369 1.72 N/A N/A 229,210 15.57
1980 1,168,972 554,046 47.40 396,836 33.95 371,926 31.82 15,163 1.30 227,837 19.49 396,353 33.91 215,313 18.42
1990 1,203,789 430,077 35.73 272,503 22.64 449,399 37.33 35,562 2.95 288,751 23.99 523,111 43.46 274,793 22.83
2000 1,332,650 398,003 29.87 193,651 14.53 475,007 35.64 41,503 3.11 418,137 31.38 644,705 48.38 385,827 28.95
2010 1,385,108 386,497 27.90 151,209 10.92 505,200 36.47 50,897 3.68 442,514 31.95 741,413 53.53 518,353 37.42
2021 1,435,070 657,262 45.80 131,140 9.14 617,080 43.00 57,402 4.00 43,052 3.00 774,937 54.00 489,358 31.00

Brooklyn[edit]

In the early 1900s, Brooklyn was predominantly White, with the White population comprising 98.31% in 1900 and staying above 98% through 1920. The Black population was very small at this time, constituting only 1.57% in 1900, while the Asian population was even smaller at 0.11%.

The 1930s started to see a slight decline in the White population, dropping to 97.20%, and the Black population began to grow, reaching 2.69% by 1930. The Asian population remained negligible.

From the 1940s to the 1960s, the decline in the White population became more pronounced, dropping to 92.22% in 1950 and then to 85.48% in 1960. During this period, the Black population increased to 14.14%, and the Asian population began to grow, albeit slowly.

The 1970s and 1980s marked a significant shift in Brooklyn's demographics. The White population fell to 73.24% in 1970 and then sharply to 56.01% in 1980. The Black population increased to 25.22% in 1970 and 32.40% in 1980. The Asian community and Other or Mixed category became more substantial, reaching 1.93% and 9.67%, respectively, in 1980. The Hispanic/Latino community grew to 17.58%, and the foreign-born population remained relatively high, at 23.80% in 1980.

In the last three decades, from 1990 to 2010, Brooklyn's racial and ethnic diversity expanded further. The White population declined to below half of the total, reaching 42.80% in 2010, while the Black population remained around 34-37%. The Asian population increased significantly to 10.52% by 2010, and the Other or Mixed category reached 12.34%. The Hispanic/Latino population hovered around 19-20%, and the foreign-born population grew to 36.44% in 2010.

Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 1,166,582 1,146,909 98.31 N/A N/A 18,367 1.57 1,300 0.11 6 0 N/A N/A 355,697 30.49
1910 1,634,351 1,610,487 98.54 N/A N/A 22,708 1.39 1,010 0.06 146 0.01 N/A N/A 574,730 35.17
1920 2,018,356 1,984,953 98.35 N/A N/A 31,912 1.58 1,459 0.07 32 0 N/A N/A 666,188 33.01
1930 2,560,401 2,488,815 97.20 N/A N/A 68,921 2.69 2,539 0.10 126 0 N/A N/A 881,571 34.43
1940 2,698,285 2,587,951 95.91 N/A N/A 107,263 3.98 2,608 0.10 463 0.02 N/A N/A 778,054 28.84
1950 2,738,175 2,525,118 92.22 N/A N/A 208,478 7.61 2,514 0.09 2,065 0.08 N/A N/A 630,526 23.03
1960 2,627,319 2,245,859 85.48 N/A N/A 371,405 14.14 6,540 0.25 3,515 0.13 N/A N/A 516,349 19.65
1970 2,602,012 1,905,788 73.24 N/A N/A 656,194 25.22 16,138 0.62 23,892 0.92 N/A N/A 456,636 17.55
1980 2,230,936 1,249,486 56.01 1,085,233 48.64 722,812 32.40 42,965 1.93 215,673 9.67 392,118 17.58 530,973 23.80
1990 2,300,664 1,078,549 46.88 923,229 40.13 872,305 37.92 111,251 4.84 238,559 10.37 462,411 20.10 672,569 29.23
2000 2,465,326 1,015,728 41.20 854,532 34.66 898,350 36.44 187,283 7.60 363,965 14.76 487,878 19.79 931,769 37.79
2010 2,504,700 1,072,041 42.80 893,306 35.67 860,083 34.34 263,519 10.52 309,057 12.34 496,285 19.81 912,793 36.44

Manhattan[edit]

The demographic landscape of Manhattan has shifted considerably over the past century. In 1900, the borough was overwhelmingly White, with a White population that constituted 97.78% of the total, while Black residents made up only 1.96%. Over the subsequent decades, the proportion of White residents gradually decreased, falling to 94.96% in 1920 and then more sharply to 87.47% in 1930. The Black population simultaneously grew to 12.03% in 1930.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, the decline in the White population continued, with percentages dropping to 79.41% in 1950 and 74.89% in 1960. During this period, the Black population increased to nearly one-quarter of the total, reaching 23.38% in 1960. Additionally, the Asian population began to grow, reaching 1.50% in 1960.

The 1970s and 1980s marked a significant transformation in Manhattan's racial composition. The White population fell below 60%, reaching 58.90% in 1980, while the Black population stabilized around 20-25%. The Asian community continued to grow, reaching 5.10% in 1980, and the Other or Mixed category emerged as a more substantial portion of the population, making up 14.31% in 1980. The Hispanic/Latino community also became more prominent, growing to 23.54% in 1980.

In recent decades, from 1990 to 2010, the racial diversity in Manhattan has continued to expand. The White population remained around 57-58%, while the Black population fluctuated around 15-17%. The Asian population grew to 11.38% by 2010, and the Other or Mixed category increased to 15.62%. The Hispanic/Latino population remained significant, at 25.45% in 2010, and the foreign-born population has been consistently high, reaching 29.66% in 2010.

Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 1,850,093 1,808,968 97.78 N/A N/A 36,246 1.96 4,861 0.26 18 0 N/A N/A 789,626 42.68
1910 2,331,542 2,266,578 97.21 N/A N/A 60,534 2.60 4,260 0.18 170 0.01 N/A N/A 1,116,477 47.89
1920 2,284,103 2,168,906 94.96 N/A N/A 109,133 4.78 6,003 0.26 61 0 N/A N/A 950,264 41.60
1930 1,867,312 1,633,329 87.47 N/A N/A 224,670 12.03 9,124 0.49 189 0.01 N/A N/A 689,506 36.93
1940 1,889,924 1,577,625 83.48 N/A N/A 298,365 15.79 13,467 0.71 467 0.02 N/A N/A 582,895 30.84
1950 1,960,101 1,556,599 79.41 N/A N/A 384,482 19.62 16,083 0.82 2,937 0.15 N/A N/A 461,102 23.52
1960 1,698,281 1,271,822 74.89 N/A N/A 397,101 23.38 25,487 1.50 3,871 0.23 N/A N/A 374,698 22.06
1970 1,539,233 1,089,302 70.77 N/A N/A 380,442 24.72 47,332 3.08 22,157 1.44 N/A N/A 307,630 19.99
1980 1,428,285 841,204 58.90 713,854 49.98 309,854 21.69 72,884 5.10 204,343 14.31 336,247 23.54 348,581 24.41
1990 1,487,536 867,227 58.30 726,755 48.86 326,967 21.98 110,629 7.44 182,713 12.28 386,630 25.99 383,866 25.81
2000 1,537,195 835,610 54.36 703,873 45.79 267,302 17.39 145,607 9.47 288,676 18.78 417,816 27.18 452,440 29.43
2010 1,585,873 911,073 57.45 761,493 48.02 246,687 15.55 180,425 11.38 247,688 15.62 403,577 25.45 470,305 29.66

Queens[edit]

Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 152,999 150,235 98.19 N/A N/A 2,611 1.71 152 0.10 1 0 N/A N/A 44,812 29.29
1910 284,041 280,691 98.82 N/A N/A 3,198 1.13 149 0.05 3 0 N/A N/A 79,329 27.93
1920 469,042 463,661 98.85 N/A N/A 5,120 1.09 214 0.05 47 0.01 N/A N/A 112,171 23.91
1930 1,079,129 1,059,804 98.21 N/A N/A 18,609 1.72 679 0.06 37 0 N/A N/A 268,358 24.87
1940 1,297,634 1,270,731 97.93 N/A N/A 25,890 2.00 947 0.07 66 0.01 N/A N/A 278,937 21.50
1950 1,550,849 1,497,126 96.54 N/A N/A 51,524 3.32 1,444 0.09 755 0.05 N/A N/A 288,197 18.58
1960 1,809,578 1,654,959 91.46 N/A N/A 145,855 8.06 7,084 0.39 1,680 0.09 N/A N/A 335,623 18.55
1970 1,986,473 1,695,288 85.34 N/A N/A 258,006 12.99 21,940 1.10 11,239 0.57 N/A N/A 416,887 20.99
1980 1,891,325 1,335,805 70.63 1,172,511 61.99 354,129 18.72 93,780 4.96 107,611 5.69 262,422 13.88 540,818 28.59
1990 1,951,598 1,129,192 57.86 937,557 48.04 423,211 21.69 238,336 12.21 160,859 8.24 381,120 19.53 707,153 36.23
2000 2,229,379 982,725 44.08 732,895 32.87 446,189 20.01 392,831 17.62 407,634 18.28 556,605 24.97 1,028,339 46.13
2010 2,230,722 1,060,000 45.72 616,727 27.65 426,683 19.13 513,317 23.01 404,669 18.14 613,750 27.51 1,059,593 47.50

Staten Island[edit]

Year Population White
(includes White Hispanics)		 %
W		 Non-Hispanic Whites %
ANG		 Black %
B		 Asian %
A		 Other or
Mixed		 %
O/M		 Hispanic/
Latino		 %
H/L		 Foreign
born		 %
FB
1900 67,021 65,863 98.27 N/A N/A 1,072 1.60 86 0.13 0 0 N/A N/A 18,687 27.88
1910 85,969 84,756 98.59 N/A N/A 1,152 1.34 61 0.07 0 0 N/A N/A 24,394 28.38
1920 116,531 114,953 98.65 N/A N/A 1,499 1.29 78 0.07 1 0 N/A N/A 31,795 27.28
1930 158,346 155,606 98.27 N/A N/A 2,576 1.63 154 0.10 10 0.01 N/A N/A 39,799 25.13
1940 174,441 170,875 97.96 N/A N/A 3,397 1.95 163 0.09 6 0 N/A N/A 35,318 20.25
1950 191,555 185,936 97.07 N/A N/A 5,372 2.80 153 0.08 94 0.05 N/A N/A 30,487 15.92
1960 221,991 211,738 95.38 N/A N/A 9,674 4.36 448 0.20 131 0.06 N/A N/A 25,428 11.45
1970 295,443 277,604 93.96 N/A N/A 15,792 5.35 1,297 0.44 750 0.25 N/A N/A 26,695 9.04
1980 352,121 313,534 89.04 300,511 85.34 25,616 7.27 6,709 1.91 6,262 1.78 18,884 5.36 34,514 9.80
1990 378,977 322,043 84.98 303,081 79.97 30,630 8.08 16,941 4.47 9,363 2.47 30,239 7.98 44,550 11.76
2000 443,728 344,319 77.60 316,316 71.29 42,914 9.67 25,253 5.69 31,242 7.04 53,550 12.07 72,657 16.37
2010 468,730 341,677 72.89 300,169 64.04 49,857 10.64 35,377 7.55 41,819 8.92 81,051 17.29 110,142 23.50

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j "New York – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Large Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990" (PDF). Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Gibson, Campbell; Jung, Kay (February 2006). "Table 23. Nativity of the Population for the 50 Largest Urban Places: 1870 to 2000" (Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850-2000). Washington, DC 20233-8800: U.S. Census Bureau Population Division. Retrieved February 10, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ Gibson, Campbell; Jung, Kay (February 2006). "Table 14. Nativity of the Population, for Regions, Divisions, and States: 1850 to 2000" (Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850-2000). Washington, DC 20233-8800: U.S. Census Bureau Population Division. Retrieved February 10, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ "Legal Immigration to the United States: Fiscal Years 1820 to 2011 (in millions)". Migration Policy Institute. 2012. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Bloch, Matthew; Gebeloff, Robert (March 10, 2009), "Immigration Explorer", The New York Times, retrieved January 21, 2013
  6. ^ "Working for a Better Life: A Profile of Immigrants in the New York State Economy" (PDF). Fiscal Policy Institute. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Bloomberg, Michael R.; Burden, Amanda M.; Shama, Fatima (2013). The Newest New Yorkers (PDF) (2013 ed.). New York City Department of City Planning.
  8. ^ American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "New York City Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "New York City Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010". United States Census Bureau. October 5, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  10. ^ "Total and Foreign-born Population: New York Metropolitan Region by Subregion and County, 1900–2000" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  11. ^ "Bronx County Population by Race". Censusscope.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "Kings County Population by Race". Censusscope.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  13. ^ "New York County Population by Race". Censusscope.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "Queens County Population by Race". Censusscope.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  15. ^ "Richmond County Population by Race". Censusscope.org. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  16. ^ "Race/Ethnicity Counts: Counties" (PDF). Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  17. ^ "2020 Census Results for New York City: Key Population & Housing Characteristics" (PDF). New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
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