Korean 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 91,358 Korean New Yorkers; however, between 2018 and 2023, the city’s Korean population decreased by 4.4% to 87,477 residents. This decline stands out against the broader trend of the 7.3% increase in the city’s overall Asian population.

Between 2018 and 2023, the proportion of the Korean population living in Brooklyn grew by 4.7 percentage points but shrank by 3.9 percentage points in Queens. Still, more than half of New York City’s Koreans continue to live in Queens, at approximately 47,000 residents.

Between 2018 and 2023, the Korean senior population grew slightly, but the overall Korean population declined because of the decrease in the number of working-age adults.

Immigration, Citizenship & Mobility

Of the total Korean population in New York City, 35.4% are US-born, 38.3% are naturalized citizens, and 26.3% are non-citizens—a distribution similar to that of the total Asian population. Since 2018, the proportion of Koreans who are non-citizens has decreased by 4.4%, while the proportions of naturalized and US-born Koreans have both increased slightly, by 2.2%.

Approximately one-third (36.7%) of New Yorkers are foreign-born, but nearly two-thirds (64.6%) of Korean residents in the city fall into this category.

Between 2019 and 2023, 15.6% of New York City’s Korean population had relocated to the city, a higher rate compared to the city’s overall rate of 10.1%. However, only 1.4% of the overall Korean population had moved from abroad within one year of the survey. Most of the movement occurred within the state, with 11.0% of the city’s Korean residents having moved from elsewhere in New York.

Education & English Proficiency

The education levels for Korean New Yorkers aged 25 and older in NYC are notably high, with nearly two-thirds, or 63.6%, possessing a bachelor’s degree or higher. In comparison, 5.8% of Korean New Yorkers have less than a high school education, which is less than one-third of the rate for that Asian population as a whole at 21.8%.

The Limited English Proficiency (LEP) rates among New York City’s Korean community are higher than the overall rate for the City. Approximately 39.7% of Koreans over the age of 5 are classified as having LEP, compared to the city’s overall LEP rate of 22.2%. However, English proficiency has significantly improved among Korean New Yorkers. The percentage of Koreans speaking English very well increased from 51.6% in 2018 to 60.4% in 2023.

Income & Poverty

Korean New Yorkers have above-average per capita (income per person), family, and household incomes (including all people who live in a household). The average per capita income for Korean residents stands out as higher than that of both the overall Asian population and New York City residents as a whole, and is approximately 27.6% above the citywide median. However, despite this strength, the Korean community has the highest levels of income inequality among Asian ethnic groups, with the top 10% of earners making nearly 14 times more than the bottom 10%.

Korean New Yorkers’ poverty rates are below average compared to both NYC and Asian populations overall, for children under 18, and working-age adults aged 18 to 64. However, 25.3% of Korean seniors over 65 live in poverty, a much higher rate than the citywide senior poverty rate of 18.5%.

Benefits & Health

Citywide, the number of uninsured individuals has declined across nearly all demographic groups, including Korean New Yorkers. Between 2018 and 2023, the uninsured rate for Korean New Yorkers dropped by 4.1%. Despite this progress, Koreans still have one of the highest rates of uninsured individuals among Asian ethnic groups, at 8.3%. At the same time, more Korean New Yorkers are enrolled in public insurance than in 2018, indicating a growing reliance on publicly funded healthcare within the community.

A lower percentage of the Korean population is enrolled in government-assisted health insurance compared to both the general NYC and Asian populations.

Employment

Korean unemployment rates are lower than those in the city across the board.

Korean workers are much more likely to be self-employed (13.8%) than both the overall City and Asian populations. This higher rate is driven by both male and female Korean self-employed workers (17.7%), which is the highest among Asian ethnic self-employed groups.

Nearly 62% of Korean New Yorkers in the labor force work in just five industries. The largest share (19.8%) is employed in professional services (legal, accounting, management, etc.), followed by healthcare (physician offices, care facilities, hospitals, etc.), retail (grocery, apparel, etc.), financial services (banking, insurance, brokerages, etc.), and other services (auto repair, salons, civic services, etc.). Among both men and women, healthcare is the most common sector, with 22.8 percent of Korean men and 17.3 percent of Korean women working in medical-related fields.

Housing

Average household size, NYC, 2018 and 2023

Household group	2018	2023
Overall	2.50	2.44
Asian	3.88	2.81
Chinese	2.26	2.19

In 2023, Korean household sizes have decreased from 2018 and are now slightly smaller than the citywide average. In general, average household sizes in New York City have decreased since 2018, and Korean households are no exception.

Korean New Yorkers experience household overcrowding at a lower rate than the city as a whole and other Asian households.

Korean New Yorkers own their homes at a lower rate than the citywide and Asian households’ average. Korean New Yorkers also rent at higher rates than the citywide and Asian average.

Korean households face high levels of rent burden. Overall, 55.4% of households are rent burdened, with more than half of these classified as severely rent burdened.

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

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

³Unemployment statistics are calculated over the civilian labor force.

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