Demographics of New York City

The demographics of New York City are evidence of a uniquely large and ethnically diverse metropolis. It is 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 30 million by 2030.

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.^[1][2] English remains the most widely spoken language and New York is the largest city in the English speaking world.

Contents 1 Current demographics 1.1 Population 1.2 Immigration 1.3 Racial and Ethnic composition 1.4 Households 1.5 Income 1.6 Religions 2 Population projections 3 Historic population figures 4 Major ethnic and national groups 4.1 African Americans and foreign-born black people 4.2 Chinese 4.3 Filipino 4.4 German 4.5 Greeks 4.6 Irish 4.7 Italian 4.8 Jewish 4.9 Polish 4.10 Puerto Rican 4.11 Romanian 4.12 South Asian 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

Current demographics

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	%±
1790	33,131	—
1800	60,515	82.7%
1810	96,373	59.3%
1820	123,706	28.4%
1830	202,589	63.8%
1840	312,710	54.4%
1850	515,547	64.9%
1860	813,669	57.8%
1870	942,292	15.8%
1880	1,206,299	28.0%
1890	1,515,301	25.6%
1900	3,437,202	126.8%
1910	4,766,883	38.7%
1920	5,620,048	17.9%
1930	6,930,446	23.3%
1940	7,454,995	7.6%
1950	7,891,957	5.9%
1960	7,781,984	−1.4%
1970	7,894,862	1.5%
1980	7,071,639	−10.4%
1990	7,322,564	3.5%
2000	8,008,288	9.4%
Est. 2008	8,363,710	4.4%
Beginning 1900, figures are for consolidated city of five boroughs. Source:[3]

New York is the most populous city in the United States, with an estimated 2005 population of 8,213,839 (up from 7.3 million in 1990).^[4] New York's two key demographic features are its population density and cultural diversity. The city's population density of 26,403 people per square mile (10,194/km²), makes it the densest of any American municipality with a population above 100,000.^[5] Manhattan's population density is 66,940 people per square mile (25,846/km²), highest of any county in the United States.^[6][7]

New York City is exceptionally diverse. Throughout its history the 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. 36% of the city's population is foreign-born.^[2] Among US cities, this proportion is higher only in Los Angeles and Miami.^[7] 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 nations constituting the largest sources of modern immigration to New York City are the Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Guyana, Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Russia.^[8] About 170 languages are spoken in the city.^[1]

As of the 2000 census, The New York metropolitan area is home to 3,372,512 Italians making them the largest white group in New York. The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest number of Jews outside Israel. There are more Jews within New York City limits than within Jerusalem city limits, making the New York City Jewish community the largest such community in the world. About 12% of New Yorkers claim to be Jewish or of Jewish descent.^[9] New York is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation's South Asians,^[10] and the largest African American community of any city in the country.

The nine largest ethnic groups as of the 2005 census estimates are: African, Puerto Ricans, Italians, West Indians, Dominicans, Chinese, Irish, Russian, and German.^[11][12] The Puerto Rican population of New York City is the largest outside Puerto Rico.^[13] Italians emigrated to the city in large numbers in the early twentieth century, establishing several "Little Italies". The Irish also have a notable presence, along with Germans.

New York City has a high degree of income disparity. In 2005 the median household income in the wealthiest census tract was reported to be $188,697, while in the poorest it was $9,320.^[14] The disparity is driven by wage growth in high income brackets, while wages have stagnated for middle and lower income brackets. In 2006 the average weekly wage in Manhattan was $1,453, the highest and fastest growing among the largest counties in the United States.^[15] The borough is also experiencing a "baby boom" among the wealthy that is unique among U.S. cities. Since 2000, the number of children under age 5 living in Manhattan has grown by more than 32%.^[16]

In 2000, about 3 out of every 10 New York City housing units were owner-occupied, compared to about 2 owner-occupied units out of every 3 units in the U.S. as a whole.^[17] Rental vacancy is usually between 3% and 4.5%, well below the 5% threshold defined to be a housing emergency, justifying the continuation of rent control and rent stabilization. About 33% of rental units fall under rent stabilization, according to which increases are adjudicated periodically by city agencies. Rent control covers only a very small number of rental units.^[18][19]. Some critics point to New York City's strict zoning and other regulations as partial causes for the housing shortage, but during the city's decline in population from the 1960s through the 1980s, a large number of apartment buildings suffered suspected arson fires or were abandoned by their owners. Once the population trend was reversed, with rising prospects for rentals and sales, new construction has resumed, but generally for higher income brackets.

Population

New York City compared
2000 Census Data	New York City	Los Angeles	Chicago	New York State	United States
Total population	8,008,278	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	26,403 /sq. mi.	7,877 /sq. mi.	12,750 /sq. mi.	402 /sq. mi.	80 /sq. mi.
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	45%	47%	42%	68%	75%
Black	27%	11%	37%	16%	12%
Hispanic (any race)	27%	47%	26%	15%	13%
Asian	10%	10%	4%	6%	4%
Europeans	25.5%

New York is the largest city in the United States, with the city proper's 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 city has a population more than that of 39 U.S. states. [1] The estimated 2007 population of New York City is 8,274,527 (up from 7.072 million in 1980).^[4] 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 9.4 and 9.7 million by 2030.^[20] In 2000 the life expectancy of New Yorkers surpassed that of the United States national average. Life expectancy for females born in 2009 in New York City is 80.2 years and for males is 74.5 years.^[21]

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.^[22] Manhattan's population density is 66,940 people per square mile (25,846/km²).^[7]

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 city most U.S. residents would most like to live in or near.^[23]

Immigration

Throughout its history New York City has been a principal entry point for immigration to the United States. These immigrants often form ethnic enclaves, neighborhoods dominated by one ethnicity. The city experienced major immigration from Europe in the 19th century and another major wave in the early 20th century. 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 Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. 36% of the city's population is foreign-born.^[2] Among American cities, this proportion is higher only in Los Angeles and Miami.^[7] 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.^[24] About 170 languages are spoken in the city.^[1] Between 1990 and 2000 the city admitted 1,224,524 immigrants.^[25] Demographers and city officials have observed that immigration to New York City has been slowing since 1997. This is mostly due to more and more immigrants choosing directly to locate to the city's suburbs and then commute to the city or work in many of its booming edge cities like Fort Lee, NJ, Jersey City, Morristown, NJ, Stamford, CT, White Plains, NY and others. Despite the slowdown in immigration the city's overall immigrant population has continued to increase and in 2006 it numbered 3.038 million (37.0%) up from 2.871 million (35.9%) in 2000.^[26][27]

Racial and Ethnic composition

At the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city's population was:

• 45.3% White (35.1% non-Hispanic White alone)
• 26.2% Black or African American (23.7% non-Hispanic Black or African American alone)
• 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native
• 12.1% Asian
• 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
• 17.7% some other race
• 1.9% two or more races
• 27.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race

According to a 2001 study by Claritas four of the city's five boroughs ranked among the nation's 20 most diverse counties. Queens ranked #1, Brooklyn #3, Manhattan #7, The Bronx #17. In addition Hudson County ranked #6 and Essex County #15, both of which are part of the New York Metropolitan Area.^[28]

Main European ancestries as of 2000 census:^[29]

• Italian : 8.7%
• Irish : 5.3%
• German : 3.2%
• Russian : 3.0%
• Polish : 2.7%
• English : 1.6%
• Greek : 1.0%

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.^[30] It is also the nation's most ethnically diverse county.^[31]

The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel.^[32] It is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation's South Asians,^[33] and the largest African American community of any city in the country. New York City, with about 800,000 Puerto Rican residents, 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 and Germans also have a notable presence.

% Foreign born by borough 1970-2006

Source: NYC.gov^[34]

Borough	1970	1980	1990	2000	2006
Brooklyn	17.5	23.8	29.2	37.8	37.8
Queens	21.0	28.6	36.2	46.1	48.5
Manhattan	20.0	24.4	25.8	29.4	28.7
Bronx	15.6	18.4	22.8	29.0	31.8
Staten Island	9.0	9.8	11.8	16.4	20.9
Total	18.2	23.6	28.4	35.9	37.0

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 persons, and the average family size was 3.32.

The age range was as follows: 24% were under the age of 18, 10% between 18 and 24, 33% between 25 to 44, 21% between 45 to 64, and 12% were 65 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 U.S. cities. Since 2000, the number of children under age 5 living in Manhattan grew by more than 32%.^[35] The increase is driven mostly by affluent white families with median household incomes over $300,000.

Income

Overall, the distribution of household income in New York City is characterized by tremendous disparities. This phenomenon is especially true of Manhattan, which in 2005 was home to the wealthiest U.S. census, tract with a household income of $188,697, as well as the poorest, where household income was $9,320.^[36] The disparity is driven in part 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.^[15] Wages in Manhattan were the fastest growing among the nation's 10 largest counties.^[15] Among young adults in New York who work full time, women now earn more money than men—in 2005 approximately $5,000 more.^[37] Nationally, women's wages still lag behind men.

New York City's borough of Manhattan is the richest county in the United States. 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, has one of the largest concentrations of extreme wealth in the United States. The so-called 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 had incomes below the federal poverty line; 30.0% of this group were under the age of 18 and 17.8% were 65 and older.

The New Yorker who is listed as the richest individual, oil magnate David H. Koch, was worth an estimated $17 billion in October 2007.^[38] 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, 72 live in New York City, and they are each worth at least $1 billion.^[38] New York City's present mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is himself one of the nation's richest men. As of 2009 New York has regained the number one spot as the city with most billionaires (55), after losing out to Moscow in 2008.

New York City Income and Poverty in 2007

Area	Median House- hold Income	Mean House- hold Income	Percent- age in Poverty
Bronx	$34,156	$46,298	27.1%
Brooklyn	$41,406	$60,020	21.9%
Manhattan	$64,217	$121,549	17.6%
Queens	$53,171	$67,027	12.0%
Staten Island	$66,985	$81,498	9.8%
New York City	$48,631	$75,809	18.5%
New York State	$53,514	$77,865	13.7%
United States	$50,140	$69,193	13.0%

Religions

Religious groups in New York City

Source: Gotham Gazette^[39]

Borough	Adherents 2000 census	% Catholic	% not affiliated	% Jewish	% Protestant	% Other Religions
Brooklyn	2,359,578	56.30	4.29	23.36	11.58	4.47
Queens	1,411,006	37.98	36.71	14.05	6.08	5.25
Manhattan	1,374,628	46.97	10.58	26.12	11.00	5.28
Bronx	1,140,902	66.34	14.39	9.59	7.62	2.05
Staten Island	396,026	70.99	10.75	9.01	6.33	2.94
NYC	6,682,139	51.73	16.56	18.27	8.93	4.42

Population projections

New York has ranked first in population among American cities since the first census in 1790. New York will maintain this position, although there are varying forecasts on how much the population will increase. The most realistic population projections from the Department of City Planning anticipate a 1.1 million increase by 2030, bringing the city's population total to 9.1 million.

While the city's projected 2030 population will be a new high, only two boroughs, Staten Island and Queens, will reach a new population peak in 2030. The study projects that by 2030, Queens will have 2.57 million people and Staten Island 552,000. Manhattan, with 1.83 million, Bronx with 1.46 million and Brooklyn with 2.72 million, will still be below their population peaks.^[40]

The Reform and Conservative sects of Jewish New Yorkers is expected to decline, while the Orthodox sect is increasing.

Historic population figures

Historical Population of New York City post*-Greater New York City.[41]
Year	Manhattan	Brooklyn	Queens	Bronx	Staten Is.	Total
1698	4,937	2,017	n/a	n/a	727
1771	21,863	3,623	n/a	n/a	2,847
1790	33,131	4,549	6,159	1,781	3,827	49,447
1800	60,515	5,740	6,642	1,755	4,563	79,215
1810	96,373	8,303	7,444	2,267	5,347	119,734
1820	123,706	11,187	8,246	2,782	6,135	152,056
1830	202,589	20,535	9,049	3,023	7,082	242,278
1840	312,710	47,613	14,480	5,346	10,965	391,114
1850	515,547	138,882	18,593	8,032	15,061	696,115
1860	813,669	279,122	32,903	23,593	25,492	1,174,779
1870	942,292	419,921	45,468	37,393	33,029	1,478,103
1880	1,164,673	599,495	56,559	51,980	38,991	1,911,698
1890	1,441,216	838,547	87,050	88,908	51,693	2,507,414
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
2008	1,634,795	2,556,598	2,293,007	1,391,903	487,407	8,363,710
* All population figures are consistent with present-day boundaries. ** First census after the consolidation of the five boroughs.

Major ethnic and national groups

African Americans and foreign-born black people

According to the 2000 Census, New York City has the largest population of self-defined black residents of any U.S. city, with over 2 million within the city's boundaries. Many of the city´s black residents live in Brooklyn and The Bronx. Several of the city's neighborhoods are historical birthplaces of urban black culture in America, among them the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant and Manhattan's Harlem and various sections of Eastern Queens and The Bronx. Bedford-Stuyvesant is considered to have the highest concentration of black residents in the United States. New York City has the largest population of black immigrants (at 686,814) and descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean (especially from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Belize, Grenada, and Haiti), and of sub-Saharan Africans. In a news item of April 3, 2006, however, the New York Times noted that for the first time since the American Civil War, the recorded African American population was declining, because of emigration to other regions, a declining African American birthrate in New York, and decreased immigration of blacks from the Caribbean and Africa.^[42]

In 2005, the median income among black households in Queens was almost $52,000 a year, surpassing that of whites. However, while some of this is because of middle class African American neighboorhoods in Queens it also is because of white emigration from Queens and comparison to elderly whites who are left behind who may be on retirement or fixed incomes and no longer working. ^[43]

Chinese

See also: Chinese Americans, Chinatown, Manhattan and Flushing, Queens

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

By the 1980s, it had surpassed San Francisco's Chinatown to become the largest enclave of Chinese residents in the Western hemisphere. Since 2000 it has been outgrown by the lesser-known but larger Chinatown community in nearby Flushing, Queens (also part of New York City.)

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

Filipino

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

New York City is home to about 215,000 Filipinos. Immigration from the Philippines began occurring mainly after 1965, when immigration quotas that prevent Filipino immigration for many years were abolished. While, there was prior immigration from the Philippines, it was in low numbers and mainly concentrated in Hawaii and California. Filipinos began to settle in Northeastern cities, mainly in New York City. Most of these immigrants were professionals (doctors, nurses, other medical professions, accountants and engineers).

New York City annually hosts the Philippine Independence Day Parade, which is traditionally held on the first Sunday of June at Madison Avenue. The celebration occupies nearly twenty-seven city blocks which includes a 3.5-hour parade and an all-day long street fair and cultural performances.

The largest concentration of Filipinos are in Queens, in Woodside, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. There are also smaller Filipino communities in Jamaica and parts of Brooklyn.

German

See also: German Americans

Extensive 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 German population became widespread throughout the northern half of the country, especially in 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.^[44]

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

Greeks

Greek immigration to New York City began mainly in the 1890s. The push factors for immigration were hardship under Ottoman rule, the Balkan Wars and World War I. Greek immigration to New York City took place between 1890 until around 1917. In the latter years more women arrived and communities began to grow, especially in Astoria, Queens. Greeks again began to arrive in large numbers after 1945, as they fled the economic devastation caused by World War II and the Greek Civil War.

In the first immigration wave, most of the Greek immigrants were men. Many of them worked in industrial labor jobs and others created a niche in the fur business. This immigration wave brought 450,000 Greeks to the Northeast, largely concentrated in New York City. The second immigration wave taking place after 1945 and 1982, was smaller with a total of 211,000 immigrants, mostly within the Northeast. However, new immigrants helped revive assimilating Greek communities and added new energy to a sense of ethnic identity.

The largest concentration of Greeks can still be found in Astoria. The Greek community there was established in the early 20th century immigration. The neighborhood still has many Greek food stores and restaurants. Residents of Greek descent make up 1.0% of New York City's population.

Irish

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 mid-1800s. New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade dates to 1762.

During the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849), Irish families were forced to emigrate from the country. By 1854, between 1.5 and 2 million people left Ireland. In the United States, most Irish became city dwellers as that was where work was. In addition, arriving with little money, many settled in the cities at which their ships made port. By 1850, the Irish made up a quarter of the population in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Their arrival in the United States before other waves of Catholic immigrants meant that ethnic Irish long dominated the Roman Catholic Church in America. They created a strong network of churches and parochial schools to support their communities.

The Irish have long played 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.^[45]

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.^[46]

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

Italian

See also: Italian-Americans

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 and early twentieth centuries. Between 1820 and 1978, 5.3 million Italians immigrated to the United States, including over two million between 1900 and 1910. 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. This settlement, however, is rapidly becoming part of the adjacent Chinatown as the older Italian residents die and their children move elsewhere. As of the 2000 census, 692,739 New Yorkers reported Italian ancestry, making them the largest European ethnic group in the city.^[47] New York metropolitan area is home to 3,372,512 Italians, which is among the largest concentration in the world after Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Milan and Rome metropolitan areas.

Italian communities in New York hold some widely attended celebrations and parades, including feasts for regional patron saints, most notably Feast of San Gennaro (September 19) by those claiming Neapolitan heritage, and Santa Rosalia (September 4) by Sicilians. Columbus Day is also widely celebrated in these communities.

• 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

Jewish

See also: American Jews

The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel. New York City's Jewish population in 2001 was approximately 1.97 million, 1.4 million more than in Jerusalem but 600,000 fewer than in Israel's largest metropolitan area, denoted as Gush Dan. However, the city of Tel Aviv proper (within municipal limits) has a smaller population than the Jewish population of New York City proper, making New York City's the largest Jewish community in the world.^[48] 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 world headquarters of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch group and the Bobover and Satmar branches of Hasidism, ultra-Orthodox sects of Judaism.

The Jewish presence in New York City dates to the 17th century, when a Jewish community relocated from Recife in Brazil, seeking freedom of worship. Major immigration of Jews to New York began in the 1880s, with the increase of antisemitic actions 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 Ashkenazi, Bukharian, and Georgian Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union began arriving in the 1980s and 1990s. Sephardic Jews including Syrian and other Jews of non-European origin have also lived in New York City since the late 19th century. Many Jews, including the newer immigrants, have settled in Queens, south Brooklyn, and the Bronx, where at present most live in middle-class neighborhoods such as Riverdale.

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

While three-quarters of New York Jews do not consider themselves religiously observant, the Orthodox community is rapidly growing due to the high birthrates of Hasidic sects, 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 policies.

Polish

See also: Polish American

Polish immigration to New York City began at the end of the 19th century. In the 1980s, as a result of the Polish government's crackdown on the burgeoning Solidarnosc labor and political movement, Polish migration to the U.S. swelled. Polish-Americans and Polish immigrants in the city generally reside in Brooklyn (Greenpoint and Williamsburg)*Ridgewood, Queens, New York & *Maspeth, Queens . New York The combined neighborhood is sometimes referred to as "Little Poland" because of its large population of primarily 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.^[49]

Polish-American culture, press

New York is home to a number of Polish and Polish-American cultural, community, and scientific institutions, including the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA) and the Polish Cultural Institute. Polish-language publications with circulation reaching outside the city include The Polish Review, an English-language scholarly journal published since 1956 by PIASA; Nowy Dziennik [2], founded in 1971, considered the leading Polish-language daily newspaper in the U.S.; and Polska Gazeta [3], a Polish-language daily newspaper with headquarters in Brooklyn. The Polish Newspaper SuperExpress [4], covering New York, New Jersey & Connecticut started publication in 1996.

Polish TV in the USA

Dish Network

KinoPolska-604

Polsat 2-607

ITVN-608

TVN24-609

DirecTV

Polonia-2171

TVinfo-2172

Polskie Radio1-2174

Polskie Radio3-2172

Tele5-2713

Pulaski Day Parade

Pulaski Day Parade in New York on Fifth Avenue has been celebrated since 1937 to commemorate Kazimierz Pułaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolutionary War. It closely coincides with the October 11 General Pulaski Memorial Day, a national observance of his death at the Siege of Savannah. In these parades march Polish dancers, Polish soccer teams and their mascots, Polish Scouts - ZHP and Polish school ambassadors and representatives, such as Mikolaj Pastorino (Nicholas Pastorino) and Lech Walesa. The Pulaski Day Parade is one of the largest parades in New York City.

It is held on the first Sunday of October. In 2008 it was held on October 5.

Puerto Rican

New York City has the largest Puerto Rican population outside of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans, because of the changing citizenship status of the island's residents, can technically be said to have come to the City first as immigrants and subsequently as migrants. 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. The following wave of Puerto Ricans to move to New York did so after the Spanish-American War of 1898 made Puerto Rico a U.S. possession and after the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 gave Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship, which allows travel without the need of a passport between the island and the United States mainland. The largest wave of migration came in the 1950s, in what became known as "The Great Migration"; as a result, more than a million Puerto Ricans once called New York City home. Presently the Puerto Rican population is around 800,000.

Puerto Ricans have historically lived in neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side (known in the community as Loisaida), Spanish Harlem (East Harlem) and Williamsburg, Brooklyn since the 1950s.

Romanian

See also: Romanian Americans

The Romanian community of New York City is the largest such community in North America. The 2000 Census reported 161,900 Romanians were living in New York City. They are mainly concentrated in The Bronx, as well as in parts of Manhattan and Staten Island. The Romanian Day Festival, for which the City closes a section of Broadway, demonstrates the strong sense of community of Romanians living in New York.

South Asian

According to 2007 American Community Survey estimates, New York City is home to approximately 300,000 people from the Indian subcontinent, which includes the countries of India (236,117), Pakistan (24,002), Bangladesh (34,332), and Sri Lanka (5,010). South Asians constitute 3.6% of New York City's population.^[50] A majority of the South Asian residents are concentrated in Queens neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Kew Gardens, and Elmhurst. In the borough of Queens, the South Asian population is approximately 186,000, where they constitute 8.2% of the population.

References

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 [5]
• New York City Department of City Planning Census Fact Finder [6]
• Jewish communities in New York City
• 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.[7]
• http://www.muninetguide.com/index.php

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