Chinese in NYC: A Profile (2025)

August 25, 2025

PROFILE MATERIALS

2019-2023 ACS 5-Year PUMS

2014-2018 ACS 5-Year PUMS

Asian American Federation

Population

The Chinese¹ population in New York City has grown by 4.4% from 600,400² in 2018 to 628,200 in 2023, surpassing the city’s overall population growth of 0.8%, but growing slower than the Asian³ population as a whole. This increase is largely attributed to the growth of the Chinese older adult population, which grew by 31.1%.

As of 2023, 17.9% of Chinese New Yorkers⁴ were 65 years or older, which represents a 3.1 percentage point⁵ increase from 2018. The actual population of Chinese older adults rose by 31.1%—nearly double the city’s overall older population growth of 14.8% and outpacing the growth of the Asian older adult population by 26.8%.

As Chinese adults get older, the working age population has decreased by 3 percentage points—double that of the city’s 1.5 percentage point decrease.

Meanwhile, although the proportion of children within the Chinese population remained relatively stable, the actual number of Chinese children increased by an estimated 3.7%.

Chinese New Yorkers moved into Staten Island and away from Manhattan and Brooklyn from 2018 to 2023. While Queens and Brooklyn remain the most popular boroughs for Chinese residents, the percentage of Chinese New Yorkers living in Staten Island nearly doubled from 2.9%, or 17,400, in 2018 to 5.5%, or 34,700 in 2023. The Chinese population also grew by 5.8% in Queens but declined slightly in Manhattan (-1.8%) and Brooklyn (-0.9%).

Immigration, Citizenship & Mobility

Of the total Chinese population in New York City, 33.4% are US-born, 38.5% are naturalized citizens, and 28.2% are non-citizens. Comparatively, most people in NYC hold birthright citizenship at 63.3%, with 21.6% being naturalized citizens, and another 15.1% being non-citizens.

36.7% of New York City residents are foreign-born. In comparison, 66.6% of Chinese New Yorkers were born abroad.

Of the 10.7% of the city’s Chinese population that recently moved into New York City, the vast majority of these newcomers relocated from within New York State or elsewhere in the United States. Just 1.6% of Chinese New Yorkers came from abroad, while most (89.3%) had not moved from their residence in the city within a year of the survey.

Education & English Proficiency

Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, Chinese New Yorkers have the largest share of individuals without a high school diploma, and one of the smallest shares of those with some college education, a bachelor’s, or an advanced degree. In every category, their educational attainment falls below citywide averages. Among Chinese New Yorkers aged 25 and older, educational attainment spans a broad spectrum; nearly one-third lack a high school diploma; 19.6% have completed high school; 11.9% have some college but no degree; 22.9% earned a bachelor’s degree; and 14.5% attained a graduate or professional degree.

English proficiency levels within New York’s Chinese community have been going up. In 2018, 337,600 or 59.8% of Chinese New Yorkers were limited English proficient, but by 2023 that number had dropped to 329,600 or 55.2% of the population. Moreover, in 2018, while 40% of Chinese New Yorkers were English proficient, by 2023, 44.8% could speak English very well.

However, approximately 55.2% of Chinese speakers over the age of 5 have limited English proficiency (LEP)– the highest among all Asian ethnic groups, and more than double the city’s overall LEP rate of 22.2%. In contrast, 42.4% of the overall Asian population has LEP. Only 27.8% of the Chinese population report speaking English “very well.” Additionally, the percentage of Chinese residents who speak only English is 17%, the lowest among all Asian ethnic groups.

Income & Poverty

Chinese New Yorkers also have among the lowest per capita, family, and household median incomes across Asian ethnic groups. The per capita median income for Chinese New Yorkers aged 25 and older is $53,100. This is lower than the overall Asian population in New York City and significantly lower than the city’s overall per capita median income of $60,500.

38.7% of Chinese New Yorkers live in or near poverty, one of the highest rates among all Asian ethnic groups. These elevated poverty rates are primarily driven by the senior population, with over half (54.4%) of Chinese seniors living in poverty or near poverty. This rate is significantly higher than the overall rate for seniors in New York City, which is 39.4%.

Chinese older adults are significantly overrepresented among those living in poverty. While they make up 17.9% of the overall Chinese population in New York City, they account for 31% of the Chinese population living in poverty.

Benefits & Health

The number of uninsured individuals decreased for almost all New Yorkers, and the Chinese population is no exception. Between 2018 and 2023, around 3.4 percent fewer Chinese individuals were uninsured. Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, Chinese New Yorkers had one of the lowest rates of private insurance coverage at 53% and one of the highest rates of public insurance coverage at 46.7%.

Employment

The unemployment rate of the Chinese workforce is slightly under that of the citywide workforce. The same pattern holds true for male and female workers.

Chinese workers are likely to be self-employed at the same rate as the citywide working population, but slightly less likely than the Asian workforce. While female Chinese workers are self-employed at similar rates as the Asian and overall city working population, male Chinese workers were self-employed at a lower rate than the overall Asian working population.

Five industries account for 61% of New York City’s Chinese labor force. At 15.6 %, the healthcare sector (physician offices, care facilities, hospitals, etc.) employs the most Chinese workers. The remaining 75% of Chinese workers are employed in professional services (such as legal services, accounting, management, etc.), entertainment (including restaurants, bars, etc.), financial services (banking, insurance, and brokerages, etc.), retail (grocery, apparel, etc.), and other industries.

Housing

Average household size, NYC, 2018 and 2023

Household group	2018	2023
Overall	2.50	2.44
Asian	3.88	2.81
Chinese	2.86	2.75

In 2023, Chinese households⁶ were slightly larger than the average city household. In general, average household sizes in New York City have been decreasing since 2018, and Chinese households have followed this trend.

Chinese households are more likely to be overcrowded than the citywide average, but less overcrowded than Asian households overall.

Across New York City, the Chinese population has a higher rate of homeownership and a lower renting rate compared to other Asian and New Yorker households. Among other Asian ethnic groups, Chinese New Yorkers boast the second highest homeownership rate at 53.0% and the second lowest renting rate at 47%, second to Taiwanese New Yorkers.

A smaller percentage of Chinese households rent their homes. However, among those that do, 56.6% are experiencing some degree of rent burden, with a significant majority classified as severely rent-burdened. These figures exceed both the citywide rate—52.7% of renter households experience rent burden—and the 53.5% rate for Asian households overall. Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, Chinese households have one of the highest proportions of severely rent-burdened renters at 37.1%.

¹ Chinese statistics are for the Chinese Alone or in Any Combination category unless otherwise noted.

² Population estimates are rounded to the nearest hundred.

³ Asian statistics are for the Asian Alone or in Any Combination category unless otherwise noted.

⁴ “New Yorker” indicates New York City residents.

⁵ Percentage point changes indicate changes in percentages; percentage changes indicate changes in numbers.

⁶ Asian households are led by an Asian householder and can consist of non-Asian persons. Similarly, Chinese households are led by a Chinese householder and can consist of non-Chinese persons.

Technical Notes

Race categories
Beginning with the Census 2000, the Census Bureau collects data in which respondents were allowed to mark more than one race. For example, 2000 data include results for single race as well as multiple-race responses. “Chinese Alone” corresponds to the respondents who reported only Chinese and no other race category. “Alone” should be considered the minimum population size in any analysis that uses Census Bureau data.

To be as inclusive as possible, this profile uses “Chinese Alone or in Any Combination” numbers where possible. “Alone or in Any Combination” corresponds to the responses (not respondents) that included Chinese, either alone or in any combination with other Asian groups or other race categories. If a respondent selected Chinese and another racial group (e.g., Chinese and Black), that individual, while excluded from the “Chinese Alone” count, was tallied in the “Alone or in Any Combination” count for Chinese and the other racial group. Hence, some overlap in the “In Any Combination” numbers occurred. “Alone or in Any Combination” should be considered the maximum population size in any analysis that uses Census Bureau data.

About this profile
These profiles were released in August 2025 and are based on the 2018 and 2023 American Community Survey 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample.

This is one of a series of Asian American population profiles prepared by the Asian American Federation Census Information Center (CIC) to increase understanding of the rapidly growing and diverse Asian American population in the New York metropolitan area. Data citations from this profile should include the following acknowledgment: “Data derived from analysis by the Asian American Federation Census Information Center.”

For more information regarding this profile, please contact the Asian American Federation Census Information Center at (646)492-8958 x 221 or dena.li@aafederation.org, or visit our Census Center.

This profile was authored by Bella Lu, AAF’s Spring 2025 Research Intern (Bard College, ’25) and Dena Li. Review and edits were made by Annie Yang and Meera Venugopal. Infographics and design by Jenny Shin.