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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

New York, NY
Real Estate & Demographic Data






New York profile


Living in New York



New York is a very large coastal borough (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 1,694,251 people and 310 associated neighborhoods, New York is the third largest community in New York. Much of the housing stock in New York was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic boroughs in the country.

New York home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but New York real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, New York is also a borough of artists. New York has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape New York’s character.

Also of interest is that New York has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in New York telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 20.56% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

New York is a popular destination for single career-starters. One thing that you will notice when you are out and about town is that there is a large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters out at restaurants, listening to live music, and enjoying other activities. They are a real visible part of the culture of New York. This makes New York a good place to live for young professionals. With so many people in this demographic, New York presents many opportunities for single professionals to enjoy themselves, socialize, and to create lasting relationships.

One of the nice things about New York is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

In New York, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 32.89 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit. In addition, the borough is also quite pedestrian-friendly, because many neighborhoods are very dense and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.

One of the benefits of being a big city like New York is having a public transportation system, but in New York the transit system is the mode of choice for lots of people getting to and from work every day. You will find many people using the subway for their daily commute, even though other transportation options exist. If you ask these commuters, many will tell you that not having to drive in the snarl of big city traffic is one of main reasons for leaving the car at home, or even not owning a car at all. With so many people taking the subway New York benefits from a reduction in air pollution and traffic.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in New York. 62.75% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in New York in 2022 was $89,702, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $358,808 for a family of four. However, New York contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

New York is an extremely ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call New York home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of New York residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. New York also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 26.02% of the borough’s residents. Important ancestries of people in New York include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish.

New York also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 28.11%.

The most common language spoken in New York is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.