Indian 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

In 2018, there were 251,500 Indian New Yorkers, the second largest group of Asian New Yorkers. But between 2018 and 2023, that number declined by 7.19% or almost 18,100 people. This drop in Indian population, especially stark against the 7.3% overall increase for Asians, was driven largely by a 10.6% decrease in the Indian child population and 9.8% decrease among Indian adults.

New York City’s Indian population is one of the youngest among all Asian ethnic groups with 19.7% Indians under the age of 18. The working-age population, aged 18 to 64, experienced the most significant decrease among age groups with the proportion of Indian New Yorkers decreasing by 2.4 percentage points. However, the proportion of Indian seniors increased by 2.5 percentage points.

Among the five boroughs, Queens has the highest concentration of Indian residents, representing 57.1% of the total Indian population. However, recent trends indicate a demographic shift: the Indian population in Queens has decreased by 11.8% while it has increased by 11.0% in Manhattan. As a result, 17.4% of Indian New Yorkers now live in Manhattan.

Immigration, Citizenship & Mobility

Of the total Indian population in NYC, 35.5% are U.S.-born, 41% are naturalized citizens, and 23.5% are non-citizens—a distribution comparable to that of the overall Asian population throughout the city. Between 2018 and 2023, this distribution remained relatively stable. However, the actual number of naturalized and non-citizen Indian New Yorkers decreased by 14.0% and 8.2%, respectively.

Only one third, or 36.7%, of New Yorkers in general are foreign-born, while almost two-thirds, or 64.5%, of Indian residents are foreign-born.

Between 2019 and 2023, 11.6% of Indian New Yorkers had arrived in New York City within one year of the survey, and only 1.8% had recently moved to the city from abroad. In comparison, 88.4% of the Indian population had not moved from their previous residence in the city.

Education & English Proficiency

Education levels for Indian New Yorkers aged 25 and older skew towards higher education, with nearly half (49.8%) holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, and approximately one-fifth (17.7%) having a high school education or less. In comparison, 41.1% of the city’s total population has a bachelor’s degree or higher. Indian adults are also more educated than the Asian adult population, especially when it comes to holding degrees beyond a bachelor’s.

The English proficiency rates of the Indian community mirror that of New York City overall: 22.7% of Indians over the age of 5 are considered to have limited English proficiency (LEP), compared to the city’s rate of 22.2%. Among Asian ethnic groups, the Indian population has the highest proportion of English-only speakers at 42.3%, and one of the lowest LEP rates, second only to the Filipino population, whose LEP rate is 16.2%.

Income & Poverty

Indian New Yorkers have an average per capita income and a significantly higher median family and household income than New York City and Asian residents overall. The median income for Indian households is approximately 35.5% higher than the median household income in New York City.

Indian at- or near-poverty rates across all age groups are below average at 29.4% compared to both the overall NYC rate of 35.2% and the Asian population as a whole.

Benefits & Health

Across the city, the number of uninsured individuals decreased on almost all accounts, and the Indian population is no exception. Between 2018 and 2023, approximately 1% fewer Indians became uninsured. Around 62.8% of the Indian population is enrolled in private insurance, which is higher than the city rate of 57.8% and that of the Asian ethnic population as a whole at 56.5%.

A slightly lower percentage of the Indian population is enrolled in government-assisted health insurance than the general NYC and Asian populations.

Employment

The Indian workforce holds the lowest unemployment rates among Asian ethnic groups and the city’s workforce across all categories.

Indian employees are more likely to be self-employed than the overall city and Asian populations. However, there is a noticeable gender gap with female Indian employees being self-employed at lower rates than the overall and Asian employed populations.

Five industries in NYC employ 63.4% of the Indian labor force. Healthcare employs the highest percentage of Indians at 16.5% (physician offices, care facilities, hospitals, etc.), followed by professional services (legal, accounting, management, etc.), financial services (banking, insurance, brokerages, etc.), retail (grocery, apparel, etc.), and transportation (railway, urban transit, taxis, couriers, etc.).

Housing

Average household size, NYC, 2018 and 2023

Household group	2018	2023
Overall	2.50	2.44
Asian	3.88	2.81
Indian	3.06	2.96

Indian household sizes in 2023 were larger than the average City household size and among the largest compared to the Asian population as a whole. However, in general, average household sizes have decreased in New York City since 2018, and Indian households are no exception to this trend.

Indian households are more likely to experience overcrowding than the average City household with 13% of Indian households affected by overcrowding.

Like Asian New Yorkers overall, Indian households own their homes at a higher rate than the City average and rent at a lower rate than the City average. While only one-third (32.8%) of households in the city are owned, nearly half (44.8%) of Indian households own their homes.

A smaller percentage of Indian households are renters, but those that do rent often face significant financial strain. Approximately 47.4% of rented Indian households are considered rent-burdened with a majority classified as severely rent-burdened. These figures are lower compared to the rates of rent-burdened households across the city and among Asian populations as a whole.

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

² Asian statistics are for the Asian Alone or in Any Combination category unless otherwise noted.

³ Asian households are led by an Asian householder and can consist of non-Asian persons. Similarly, Indian households are led by an Indian householder and can consist of non-Indian persons.

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, Indian households are led by a Indian householder and can consist of non-Indian 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. “Indian Alone” corresponds to the respondents who reported only Indian 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 “Indian Alone or in Any Combination” numbers where possible. “Alone or in Any Combination” corresponds to the responses (not respondents) that included Indian, either alone or in any combination with other Asian groups or other race categories. If a respondent selected Indian and another racial group (e.g., Indian and Black), that individual, while excluded from the “Indian Alone” count, was tallied in the “Alone or in Any Combination” count for Indian 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.