Japanese 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

Between 2018 and 2023, the Japanese population in New York City increased by 4.2%, from 32,300 to 33,700 residents. This growth rate is slower than that of the Asian population as a whole, which is at 7.3%, but is notably higher than the NYC population growth rate of 0.8%.

Almost half (45.6%) of all Japanese New Yorkers live in Manhattan, making them the Asian ethnic group with the highest proportion of Manhattanites. In contrast, with only a quarter (25%) living in Queens, Japanese New Yorkers have the second-lowest percentage of Queens residents compared to other Asian New Yorkers. Between 2018 and 2023, the Japanese population in New York also saw a slight shift away from the Bronx and towards Staten Island.

Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, the Japanese population in New York City has the highest proportion of working-age adults at 73.7%. Additionally, from 2018 to 2023, the Japanese population experienced a 3.1 percentage point increase in the proportion of older adult residents with nearly one in ten Japanese New Yorkers being aged 65 and above.

Immigration, Citizenship & Mobility

Of the total Japanese population in New York City, 44.3% are US-born, 11.2% are naturalized citizens, and 44.5% are non-citizens. As of 2023, the Japanese population has the highest proportion of non-citizen residents in the city among all Asian ethnic groups. Since 2018, the proportion of Japanese with U.S. citizenship by birthright has increased by 5.7 percentage point, while the proportion of non-citizens has decreased by 6.2 percentage point.

The Japanese population is the most mobile Asian ethnic group in New York City. Between 2019 and 2023, 19.3% of Japanese New Yorkers arrived in the city from elsewhere, and 5.6% came from abroad.

Education & English Proficiency

Among Japanese New Yorkers, only 2.6% of the population aged 25 and above have less than a high school education, which is significantly lower than the rate for the Asian population overall at 21.8%. Compared to other New Yorkers, the education levels of Japanese New Yorkers tend to skew towards higher education, with more than two-thirds (72.2%) of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is more educated than the city overall, where 16.3% have less than a high school education and 41.1% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Japanese adults have one of the highest proportions of people who hold a degree beyond a bachelor’s (27.4%) compared to other Asian ethnic groups.

The Japanese population’s English proficiency levels are lower than those of NYC overall, as 31.3% of Japanese New Yorkers over the age of 5 have limited English proficiency (LEP), compared to the city’s rate of 22.2%. However, their English proficiency is higher than that of the total Asian population. Among the Japanese population, 68.7% speaks English at least very well, compared to 57.5% of the Asian population as a whole.

Income & Poverty

Japanese New Yorkers have above-average per capita, family, and household median incomes compared to New York City residents overall. Among Asian groups in the city, Japanese families have the highest average income. On average, a Japanese New Yorker earns 43.3% more than the typical Asian New Yorker, and Japanese families earn 73.2% more than the average Asian family in NYC.

Japanese poverty rates are below average compared to both NYC and Asian populations. Although Japanese older adults have the lowest poverty rate compared to other Asian ethnic groups, Japanese children have the highest poverty rate compared to other Japanese age groups.

Benefits & Health

Among Japanese households living in poverty, only 11.7% are enrolled in SNAP. In comparison, Asian households overall enroll in SNAP at a rate more than three times that of the Japanese (38.7%), and NYC households as a whole enroll at nearly five times that rate (53.5%).

Citywide, the number of uninsured individuals has declined across nearly all demographic groups, including Japanese New Yorkers. From 2018 to 2023, the uninsured rate among Japanese New Yorkers fell by 4.1%, more than twice the citywide decline of 1.9%. Among all Asian groups, the Japanese population has the highest rate of enrollment in private insurance (80.7%) and the lowest rate of public insurance coverage (19.7%).

A significantly lower percentage of the Japanese population is enrolled in government-assisted health insurance compared to both the general NYC population and the Asian population. The population’s 32.6% enrollment rate is the second lowest among Asian ethnic groups, second to the Taiwanese population.

Employment

Japanese unemployment rates are lower than the city’s overall rate. Unemployment rates among Japanese women are slightly higher than those of Japanese men.

Japanese workers have the highest self-employment rates among Asian ethnic groups in the city. This is largely due to Japanese women, whose self-employment rate of 17.3% is more than double the city’s rate of 8.0%, and even higher than the 12.6% self-employment rate of Japanese men. Although Japanese women are slightly more likely to be unemployed than Asian women overall, those who are employed are more likely to be self-employed compared to the overall Asian working population.

Five industries employ two-thirds (66.9%) of the Japanese labor force. The largest share of Japanese workers is in professional services (legal, accounting, management, etc.), where 19.7% of the Japanese labor force is employed. Japanese workers are also employed in entertainment (restaurants, drinking places, etc.), financial services (banking, insurance, brokerages, etc.), education (schools, technical training, educational support, etc.), and information services (newspaper publishers, non-internet broadcasting, telecommunications, etc.). Japanese male and female workers were most commonly employed in professional services, at 19.2% and 20.6%, respectively.

Housing

Average household size, NYC, 2018 and 2023

Household group	2018	2023
Overall	2.50	2.44
Asian	3.88	2.81
Japanese	1.82	1.86

Japanese households are the smallest among Asian ethnic groups in New York City. On average, Asian households are 1.6 times larger than the average Japanese household.

Japanese households experience overcrowding at a lower rate than Asian households overall and at a similar rate to NYC as a whole. Note: Overcrowding is defined as more than one person per room.

Japanese households have lower home ownership rates and higher rental rates than both the city average and Asian groups. While 44.5% of Asian households in NYC are owned, only 24.0% of Japanese households own their homes. Among Asian ethnic groups, Japanese households are among the most likely to rent.

Japanese renters are less rent-burdened than renters in most other Asian ethnic groups and those in New York City as a whole. However, nearly half, or 47.1%, of Japanese households that rent their homes are still rent-burdened, with the majority classified as severely rent-burdened at 29.9%.

¹ Japanese statistics are for the Japanese 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, Japanese households are led by a Japanese householder and can consist of non-Japanese 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. “Japanese Alone” corresponds to the respondents who reported only Japanese 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 “Japanese Alone or in Any Combination” numbers where possible. “Alone or in Any Combination” corresponds to the responses (not respondents) that included Japanese, either alone or in any combination with other Asian groups or other race categories. If a respondent selected Japanese and another racial group (e.g., Japanese and Black), that individual, while excluded from the “Japanese Alone” count, was tallied in the “Alone or in Any Combination” count for Japanese 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.