Demographics of New York City

Further information: Demographics of New York (state)

Demographics of New York City
Population pyramid of New York City in 2021
Population8,260,000 (2023 est.)

New York City is a large and ethnically diverse metropolis.[1] It is the largest city in the United States, and with a long history of international immigration. The New York region continues to be by far the leading metropolitan gateway for legal immigrants admitted into the United States.[2][3][4][5] The city is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban area. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York City is one of the world's most populous megacities.[6]

The city and its metropolitan area are the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. New York City enforces a right-to-shelter law guaranteeing shelter to anyone who needs shelter, regardless of their immigration status;[7] and the city is home to more than 3.2 million residents born outside the U.S., the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world as of 2016.[8]

Throughout its history, New York City has been a major point of entry for immigrants; the term "melting pot" was coined to describe densely populated immigrant neighborhoods on the Lower East Side. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[9][10][11][12] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.[11][13][14] English remains the most widely spoken language, although there are areas in the outer boroughs in which up to 25% of people speak English as an alternate language, and/or have limited or no English language fluency. English is least spoken in neighborhoods such as Flushing, Sunset Park, and Corona.

New York's two key demographic features are its density and diversity. It is often regarded as one of the most diverse major cities in both the US, and world; with significant populations of European, Caribbean, Latin American, African, Asian and Middle Eastern Americans all having a major presence within the city and its metropolitan area. 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.[15] Manhattan's population density is 66,940 people per square mile (25,846/km2).[16] 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.[17]

  1. ^ Ian Gordon; Tony Travers; Christine Whitehead; London School of Economics; Political Science (July 2007). "The Impact of Recent Immigration on the London Economy" (PDF). The City of London Corporation. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2012 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  5. ^ "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2009 Supplemental Table 2". U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  6. ^ "Big Radius Tool: StatsAmerica". Indiana Business Research Center. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  7. ^ Annie McDonough (August 15, 2023). "Could New York City's right to shelter apply statewide?". City & State New York. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "More Foreign-Born Immigrants Live in NYC Than There Are People in Chicago". HuffPost. December 19, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  9. ^ Lubin, Gus (February 15, 2017). "Queens has more languages than anywhere in the world—here's where they're found". Business Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  10. ^ "Endangered Language Alliance". 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Linguistics- Say what?". The Economist. September 10, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  12. ^ N. R. Kleinfield (January 15, 2016). "New Yorkers, Self-Assured and Opinionated, Defend Their Values". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Mark Turin (August 9, 2013). "The World's Most Linguistically Diverse Location? New York City". PopAnth.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  14. ^ Roberts, Sam (April 28, 2010). "Listening to (and Saving) the World's Languages". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  15. ^ For cities with more than 200,000 residents."G.I.S. Lounge U.S. Population Density, 2000 Census". GiS Lounge. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2006.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference census2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Harris Interactive (September 11, 2005). "California and New York City Most Popular Places People would choose to Live". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2007.