The Latino Population of New York City, 1990—2010

Abstract

Introduction: This report examines demographic and socioeconomic factors concerning the Latino population of New York City between 1990 and 2010. Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates. Results: The City’s Latino population continued its steady increase from 1.7 million people and 24% of the total population in 1990 to nearly 2.4 million and 29% of all New Yorkers in 2010. Within the Latino population Puerto Ricans declined in absolute and relative terms from 49% of all Latinos in 1990 to 31% in 2010. Over the same period Dominicans increased from 20% to 25% of all Latinos and are poised to surpass Puerto Ricans in absolute terms within the next decade. Mexicans were the fastest growing Latino national subgroup and increased from 3% to 14% of the City’s Hispanic population between 1990 and 2010. More Latinos lived in poverty compared with the City’s other race/ethnic groups (29%) in 2010 and the childhood poverty rate was even higher at 40%. Latinos had higher unemployment rates and fairly high out-of-the-workforce rates compared with non-Hispanic whites and blacks and Asians. Discussion: There were extraordinary differences in the sex ratios of Latino nationalities in New York City. There were 142 Mexican men for every 100 women in 2010 and 113 Ecuadorian men for every 100 women in the same year. In every other group females were dominant: For Puerto Ricans there were 100 women for every 77 men; 100 women for every 71 male Dominicans; and 100 female Colombians for every 71 males in 2010. These data suggest overwhelming female migration for Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Colombians while males dominated migratory flows for Mexicans and Ecuadorians