Demographics of New England

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, New England had an estimated population of 14,853,290, of which 48.7% were male and 51.3% were female. Approximately 19.7% of the population were under 18 years of age; 17.4% were 65 years of age or over.^[3]

In terms of race and ethnicity, White Americans made up 80.7% of New England's population, of which 74.4% were whites of non-Hispanic origin. Black Americans comprised 7.1% of the region's population, of which 6.4% were Black people of non-Hispanic origin. Native Americans made up 0.3% of the population, numbering 43,917. There were over 650,000 Asian Americans residing in New England at the time of the survey, making up 5.0% of the region's population. There were over 240,000 Chinese Americans, constituting 1.6% of the region's total population, and over 212,000 Indian Americans (1.4%).^[4] Pacific Islander Americans numbered 5,794, or 0.04% of the populace.^[3]

Aside from scattered areas in Florida and New York, New England is one of the only regions in the country where recent Black immigrants outnumber Black people of multigenerational American origin, on a 60 to 40 ratio. Though various groups of Afro-Caribbeans can be seen throughout New England, the most notable is a large Haitian population in the Boston metropolitan area and a large Jamaican population in Connecticut, especially around Hartford, Connecticut. New England has about 250,000 people of non-Hispanic Caribbean origin, the majority made up of Haitians and Jamaicans, with smaller numbers of other groups such as Bajans, Antiguans, Trinidadians, and others. African groups include Liberians and Cape Verdeans both heavily around Boston and Providence, as well as smaller numbers of people from various other parts of West Africa now living in the Boston area, southwest Connecticut close to New York City and Worcester, Massachusetts. The Boston metropolitan area, Northern Rhode Island, and Southwest Connecticut tend to be the most diverse areas in New England in regards to large variety of ethnic minorities.^{[citation needed]}

Multiracial Americans made up 3.1% of New England's population. The largest mixed-race group comprised those of African and European descent; there were over 171,000 people of black and white ancestry, making up 1.2% of the population. People of mixed Native American and European American ancestry made up 0.4% of the population, and people of mixed Asian and European heritage 0.6%.^[3] The majority of the Hispanic/Latino population is made up of multiracial people, however not counted in some identify forms such as the United States Census because some may not identify as such or sometimes some government agencies separate Hispanics as a separate race. New England, especially Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, also has large Cape Verdean and Brazilian populations, who are also made up of European/African/Indigenous multiracial people similar to Hispanics of Caribbean origin like Dominicans and Puerto Ricans.^{[citation needed]}

Hispanic and Latino Americans are New England's largest minority, and they are the second-largest group in the region behind non-Hispanic European Americans. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 11.4% of New England's population, and there were nearly 1.7 million Hispanic and Latino individuals reported in the survey. Puerto Ricans were the most numerous of the Hispanic and Latino subgroups. Over 710,000 Puerto Ricans live in New England, forming 4.8% of the population. There are also over 281,000 Dominicans, forming 1.9% of New England's population, and nearly 137,000 Mexican Americans.^[5] People of other Hispanic and Latino ancestries, for example Colombian, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Cuban, among many others, formed 3.2% of New England's population, and numbered over 484,000.^[3]

Southern New England has some of the highest concentrations of both Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in the United States. Southeastern New England, composed of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, and dominated by the Boston metropolitan area, has a Dominican (both from The Dominican Republic and Dominica) plurality among its Hispanic/Latino community, but also large numbers of other Hispanics. Boston is one of the only major cities with a Dominican-dominant Hispanic population, and Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Dominicans of any US state. Southwestern New England, composed of Connecticut and western Massachusetts, and geared more towards the New York City area, has a Puerto Rican majority among its Hispanic/Latino community, while also having sizable numbers of other Hispanics. Cities like Springfield, Holyoke, Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport have some of the highest percentages of Puerto Ricans in the country, with Connecticut having the highest percentage out of all US states.^{[citation needed]}

New England's European American population is ethnically diverse. The majority of the Euro-American population is of Irish, Italian, and English descent. Smaller but significant populations of French, Germans, Scots, Russians, Lithuanians, Poles, Swedes, Spaniards, Portuguese, and Greeks exist as well. New England is well-known for its large Irish, Italian, and English populations, having the highest percentages of these groups in the country, especially the southern half of New England. Half of the population of Rhode Island in particular, is of Irish, Italian, and/or English origin. People of French, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Scottish, Spanish, Russian, Lithuanian, German, and Greek origin also make up large portions of the New England population.

According to the 2018 survey, the top ten largest European ancestries were:

• Irish: 17.5% (2.6 million)
• English: 15.0% (2.2 million)
• Italian: 12.3% (1.8 million)
• French : 11.5% (1.7 million)
• German: 6.5% (966,000)
• Polish: 4.6% (676,000)
• Portuguese: 3.0% (441,000)
• Scottish: 2.4% (348,000)
• Swedish: 1.5% (226,000)
• Russian: 1.2% (175,000)
• Greek: 1.1% (168,000)^[6]