Demographics Newsletter

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The Topic

Demographics is the study of human populations, using statistics to describe conditions of life. Demographers consider a range of information about the size and density of populations, the ages of their members, and how populations change. Births, deaths, disease, marriages, divorces, immigration, economic standing, occupation, race, ethnic and country of origin all are subjects for the demographer.

The Context

New York City is unique and fascinating demographically. Recently, it has had large numbers of foreign immigrants arriving, many long-standing residents leaving, an increase in the gap between the rich and the poor, and a rise in the black middle class. It is a city of unique ethnic and racial diversity; it has a large older population. It was the home of many immigrants during the turn of the 20th Century. It was a destination for many African Americans from the Southern United States. Many residents of the City's suburbs fled New York City starting after World War II. In some areas of the city there is rapid growth fueled by immigrants and their children. Some areas are undergoing racial and ethnic transition; others are gentrifying. These trends are important for understanding the city and its evolution.

Reports

Moving Out Of New York
“More than 1.2 million New York residents have moved to other states since 2000—the biggest such loss experienced by any state,” according to a report by the Empire Center for New York State Policy of the Manhattan Institute, which bases their information on recently released Census data. The overall population has not decreased, though, because foreign immigration and births have more than replaced those departing. (January 16, 2007)

NYC Future Population
The Department of City Planning (DCP) released population projections detailing the age and gender of the 9.1 million people expected to reside in New York City in the year 2030 with snap shots of the composition of each borough at five year intervals between 2000 and 2030. The projected increase from 2000’s record high population of 8 million is spread throughout the five boroughs with the largest numerical increase in Queens at 336,000 and the largest percent gain, 24.4 percent, in Staten Island. While projected changes in the numbers of school age children differ by borough, the city’s population will be older across the board with nearly 15 percent of the population over 65 in 2030, roughly the same share of the total population as the 5-17 age group. Nearly 400,000 of the city-wide population gain of 1.1 million will be 65 or over. The city median age will rise from 34.2 in 2000 to 37.4 in 2030 with each borough seeing marked increases in the number and share of residents age 65 and over. (December 18, 2006)

Health Profiles Of 42 NYC Neighborhoods
The New York City Department of Health And Mental Hygiene has released its "2006 New York City Community Health Profiles," which offers a look at the health of 42 neighborhoods, accessible by zip code, by borough, and by 10 major health issues. For example, the neighborhood with the largest percentage of obese residents is East New York, Brooklyn (31 percent); the small percentage of obese residents is on the Upper East Side and Gramercy (eight percent). Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca (which are grouped together) have among the lowest annual death rates in the city (a rate that decreased 20 percent over the past decade), but the highest rate of child lead poisoning in the city, and residents of these three neighborhoods were more than 60 percent more likely to engage in binge drinking in any given month than New Yorkers overall. (October 31, 2006)

Street Vendors
This survey of 100 of the estimated 12,000 street vendors in New York City, entitled “Peddling Uphill: A report on the conditions of street vendors in New York City,” conducted by the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, found that “the legendary success stories of the past are nearly unthinkable today; vendors are faced with so much regulation and harassment that they can barely subsist.” The report gives a rundown on who vendors are, where they are from, why they vend – 38 percent said they couldn’t find another job; 27 percent said they love the freedom – and enumerates their struggles, especially what the report calls police harassment: 22 percent of tickets were because they were “too far from curb,” 15 percent because they were “too close to storefront.” Among the report’s recommendations are a reduction in fines, an increase in vending licenses, language access for the 80 percent of vendors for whom English is not their primary language, and reform in enforcement procedures, along with an easy-to-use manual of relevant laws and resources. (October 5, 2006)

Mayor's Management Report
The Mayor's Management Report, released online, provides performance highlights and statistics for more than 40 agencies, as well as data on inquiries received by the 311 Citizen Service Center. (September 15, 2006)

Sites for Beginners

New York Metropolitan Transportation Council

American FactFinder

US Census Bureau

U.S. Commerce Department

US/NYS Departments of Labor

Recommended Sites

Bronx Community Board One

Books

From Ellis Island to JFK: New York`s Two Great Waves of Immigration
by Nancy Foner

Murder in New York City
by Eric H. Monkkonen

Population History of New York City
by Ira Rosenwaike

Still the Promised City? : Afro-Americans and New Immigrants in Postindustrial New York
by Roger Waldinger

The New Race Question: How the Census Counts Multiracial Individuals
by Joel Perlmann and Mary Waters, editors