While the city saw its population dip slightly to 8.8 million, a deeper look reveals a New York City bursting with staggering contrasts, from its $1.1 trillion economy and 37.8% foreign-born population to a 17.5% poverty rate and a daily transit system that carries millions.
Key Takeaways
- As of the 2020 Census, New York City's population stood at 8,804,190 residents, marking a 2.1% decline from the 2010 Census figure of 8,175,133.
- New York City's foreign-born population constitutes 37.8% of its total residents, the highest percentage among major U.S. cities, totaling approximately 3,066,599 individuals in 2022.
- The median age in New York City is 36.8 years, with males averaging 35.2 years and females 38.3 years based on 2022 American Community Survey data.
- New York City's GDP reached $1.1 trillion in 2022, making it the largest metropolitan economy in the U.S.
- The unemployment rate in New York City averaged 5.2% in 2023, higher than the national average of 3.7%.
- Finance and insurance sector employs 578,000 people in New York City, accounting for 14.5% of total employment in 2022.
- New York City Public Schools enroll 1.1 million students across 1,800 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.
- High school graduation rate in New York City improved to 84% for the class of 2023.
- There are 120,000 preschool seats available in New York City through DOE programs for 2023-2024.
- Life expectancy in New York City is 81.4 years as of 2022, higher than the national average of 77.5.
- There are 55 hospitals in New York City with 31,000 beds total as of 2023.
- Obesity rate among New York City adults is 24% in 2022.
- Subway system in New York City carries 1.7 billion passengers annually pre-pandemic, averaging 5 million daily in 2023.
- There are 472 subway stations operated by the MTA in New York City as of 2024.
- LaGuardia Airport handled 28.5 million passengers in 2023.
Despite a slight population decline, New York City remains America's most diverse and economically powerful urban center.
Demographics
- As of the 2020 Census, New York City's population stood at 8,804,190 residents, marking a 2.1% decline from the 2010 Census figure of 8,175,133.
- New York City's foreign-born population constitutes 37.8% of its total residents, the highest percentage among major U.S. cities, totaling approximately 3,066,599 individuals in 2022.
- The median age in New York City is 36.8 years, with males averaging 35.2 years and females 38.3 years based on 2022 American Community Survey data.
- Households in New York City numbered 3,647,040 in 2022, with an average household size of 2.41 persons per household.
- The racial composition of New York City in 2022 shows White residents at 31.7%, Black or African American at 20.2%, Asian at 15.6%, Hispanic or Latino at 29.1%, and other races at 3.4%.
- New York City's poverty rate was 17.5% in 2022, affecting 1,530,000 individuals under the federal poverty line.
- There are 1,209,546 veterans living in New York City as of 2022, representing 15.3% of the civilian population aged 18 and over.
- Language diversity in New York City reveals that 48.2% of residents aged 5 and older speak English only, while 51.8% speak other languages, with Spanish at 24.5%.
- Educational attainment among New York City residents aged 25 and older shows 39.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2022.
- Housing units in New York City totaled 3,853,417 in 2022, with 96.7% occupied.
- New York City's population density is 27,017 people per square mile as of 2020 Census.
- Asian population in NYC grew by 35% from 2010 to 2020, reaching 1.4 million.
- Black population in NYC is concentrated in Brooklyn at 31% of borough population in 2022.
- Hispanic population makes up 48% of Bronx residents in 2022.
- White non-Hispanic population is 32% in Manhattan per 2022 data.
- Children under 18 comprise 20.5% of NYC population in 2022.
- Seniors 65+ represent 15.2% of NYC residents in 2022.
- Disability rate among NYC population aged 5+ is 11.4% in 2022.
- Homeownership rate in NYC is 32.4% as opposed to 65% nationally in 2022.
- Average family size in NYC is 3.32 persons per 2022 data.
Demographics Interpretation
Despite a slight dip in overall residents, New York City remains a defiantly vibrant, densely packed, and globally-minded engine of complexity, where soaring diversity, education, and poverty exist in a perpetual and demanding urban dance.
Economy
- New York City's GDP reached $1.1 trillion in 2022, making it the largest metropolitan economy in the U.S.
- The unemployment rate in New York City averaged 5.2% in 2023, higher than the national average of 3.7%.
- Finance and insurance sector employs 578,000 people in New York City, accounting for 14.5% of total employment in 2022.
- Median household income in New York City was $76,270 in 2022, compared to the U.S. median of $74,580.
- New York City collected $102.7 billion in total tax revenue in fiscal year 2023.
- There are 245,000 small businesses in New York City, employing 3.1 million people and generating $200 billion in sales annually as of 2023.
- Real estate sector contributes 10% to New York City's GDP, with property values exceeding $2.7 trillion in 2023.
- Tourism brought in $71 billion to New York City's economy in 2023, supporting 428,000 jobs.
- Retail sales in New York City totaled $112 billion in 2022.
- Venture capital investment in New York City startups reached $28.5 billion in 2023.
- Wall Street trading volume averages $500 billion daily in equities in 2023.
- NYC tech sector employs 425,000 workers, growing 10% yearly as of 2023.
- Hotel occupancy rate in NYC was 82% in 2023, generating $8.5 billion revenue.
- Construction spending in NYC reached $50 billion in 2023.
- Manufacturing jobs in NYC number 12,000, focused on apparel and food in 2023.
- Professional services sector accounts for 20% of NYC employment, 800,000 jobs in 2022.
- Port of New York and New Jersey handles 8.6 million TEUs annually in 2023.
- Arts and culture contribute $110 billion to NYC GDP, supporting 300,000 jobs in 2023.
- Cost of living index in NYC is 187.9% of national average in 2023.
- Average rent for 1-bedroom apartment in Manhattan is $4,500 monthly in 2024.
Economy Interpretation
New York City's economy is a towering, beautifully chaotic machine where Wall Street's daily half-trillion-dollar roar funds a startup revolution and an arts scene that out-earns Hollywood, all while its 3.1 million small business employees and 245,000 shop owners hustle to afford a Manhattan shoebox.
Education
- New York City Public Schools enroll 1.1 million students across 1,800 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.
- High school graduation rate in New York City improved to 84% for the class of 2023.
- There are 120,000 preschool seats available in New York City through DOE programs for 2023-2024.
- CUNY system serves 485,000 students across 25 colleges in New York City as of fall 2023.
- NYU enrolls 59,000 students, including 29,000 undergraduates, in 2023.
- Columbia University has 36,000 students enrolled in 2023 across its campuses in New York City.
- Student-teacher ratio in NYC public schools averages 13.5:1 for 2023.
- 68% of NYC public school students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023.
- Adult literacy rate in New York City is 85% for those aged 16 and older as of 2022.
- Per-pupil expenditure in NYC public schools was $23,000 in fiscal year 2023.
- Charter schools in NYC enroll 15% of public school students, 170,000 in 2023.
- English language learners comprise 15% of NYC public school students in 2023.
- Special education students represent 20% of enrollment in NYC DOE, 220,000 in 2023.
- Advanced Placement participation in NYC high schools reached 50,000 exams in 2023.
- Library visits in NYC total 20 million annually across NYPL and Brooklyn systems.
- SUNY enrollment in NYC campuses is 80,000 students in 2023.
- Teacher salaries average $92,000 in NYC public schools for 2023-2024.
- Chronic absenteeism rate in NYC schools was 35% in 2022-2023.
- College readiness index for NYC graduates is 52% based on Regents exams in 2023.
Education Interpretation
New York City's educational ecosystem is a colossal and costly tapestry, where rising graduation rates and millions served are stitched alongside persistent threads of inequality, chronic absence, and a readiness gap that suggests the fabric of opportunity is still being woven.
Healthcare
- Life expectancy in New York City is 81.4 years as of 2022, higher than the national average of 77.5.
- There are 55 hospitals in New York City with 31,000 beds total as of 2023.
- Obesity rate among New York City adults is 24% in 2022.
- Mental health treatment access shows 15.3% of NYC adults received counseling in 2022.
- COVID-19 vaccination rate in New York City reached 95% for at least one dose by 2023.
- Infant mortality rate in New York City is 4.2 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- There are 14,000 physicians per 100,000 population in NYC, higher than national average.
- Smoking prevalence among NYC adults is 11.2% in 2022.
- Drug overdose deaths in NYC totaled 3,150 in 2022.
- Cancer incidence rate in NYC is 456 per 100,000, lower than national 473 in 2022.
- Heart disease death rate is 142 per 100,000 in NYC vs. 165 national in 2022.
- Air quality index in NYC averages 45 annually, good to moderate in 2023.
- Diabetes prevalence among NYC adults is 10.8% in 2022.
- Emergency room visits in NYC total 8 million yearly across hospitals.
- HIV prevalence rate is 1,100 per 100,000 in NYC in 2022.
- Nursing homes in NYC number 150 with 40,000 beds in 2023.
- Preventable hospitalizations rate is 1,800 per 100,000 in NYC 2022.
- Federally qualified health centers serve 2 million visits annually in NYC.
Healthcare Interpretation
Despite boasting a high life expectancy and robust healthcare infrastructure, New York City's health landscape is a study in stark contrasts, where exemplary vaccination rates and low smoking prevalence coexist with significant challenges like obesity, mental health access gaps, and a tragic number of drug overdose deaths.
Transportation
- Subway system in New York City carries 1.7 billion passengers annually pre-pandemic, averaging 5 million daily in 2023.
- There are 472 subway stations operated by the MTA in New York City as of 2024.
- LaGuardia Airport handled 28.5 million passengers in 2023.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport processed 62.5 million passengers in 2023.
- Newark Liberty International Airport, serving NYC metro, had 44.1 million passengers in 2023.
- Citi Bike, NYC's bike-share, has 25,000 bikes and 1,500 stations, with 30 million rides in 2023.
- Bridges and tunnels under Port Authority and MTA handle 400,000 vehicles daily.
- NYC has 6,000 miles of streets and 1,800 miles of bike lanes as of 2023.
- Average commute time in NYC is 42.3 minutes one-way per 2022 Census data.
- Yellow taxi trips totaled 80 million in 2023.
- MTA bus fleet consists of 5,800 buses serving 700 million rides yearly.
- Staten Island Ferry carries 23 million passengers annually free of charge.
- Path train ridership between NJ and NYC is 85 million annually.
- NYC ferries new service had 7.5 million riders in 2023.
- Traffic congestion costs NYC $10 billion yearly in lost time.
- Electric vehicle registrations in NYC reached 50,000 in 2023.
- Pedestrian fatalities dropped 10% to 110 in 2023.
- Cycling mode share is 1.5% of commutes in NYC 2022.
- Helicopter tours and commutes average 100,000 flights yearly.
- Parking spaces in Manhattan number 800,000 for 2 million vehicles.
Transportation Interpretation
New York City's transportation network is a chaotic, multi-trillion-dollar, gloriously interconnected ballet where 1.7 billion subway riders, over 135 million airport passengers, millions of cyclists, drivers, and ferry commuters all navigate the same 42.3-minute average commute, proving that the city’s true miracle isn’t that it moves at all, but that it moves billions with a mere 110 pedestrian fatalities and a shared, weary sigh.
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