Census Data for New York

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave New York a population of 8,342,925 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave New York a population of 8,175,133 people.

The city of New York is located in Kings County. The 2010 Census gave Kings County; a population of 2,504,700 people. This means that New York had 326.4% of the county's total population, making it Kings' most populous community.

At the same time, New York had a population of 19,378,102 people, meaning that New York had 42.19% of the total population of New York - making it the state's most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for New York has a total area of 468.5 square miles [1,213.4 km²]. Of this total, 302.6 square miles [783.8 km²] is land, with the balance (35.4%) being water (165.8 square miles [429.5 km²]).

Kings County has a land area of 70.8 square miles [183.4 km²]. At 302.6 square miles [783.8 km²], New York has 427.4% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like New York, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for New York reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of New York might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   40° 39' 51"   (or 40.66°)
  • Lon:   -73° 56' 18"   (or -73.94°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, New York had 3,371,062 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 8,175,133 people, this averages 2.43 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows New York had a land area of 302.6 square miles [783.8 km²]. This translates to 7,195 Housing Units per square mile [2,778 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: New York had 3,200,912 Housing Units, a population of 8,008,278 people and a land area of 303.3 square miles [785.6 km²]. This gives a density of 2.5 people per Housing Unit and 6,826 Housing Units per square mile [2,635 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for New York and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Kings County ...

The community of New York is primarily located in Kings County<4> and is the County Seat for Kings County. A portion of New York extends into Queens County.

The county had a population of 2,504,700 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 8,175,133 people, New York represented 326.4% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of New York has a population density of 17,450 people per square mile [6,737 people/km²], Kings County averages 35,369 people per square mile [13,656 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Kings County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for New York, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of New York. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for New York or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of New York, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for New York.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   40.664274°   (or 40°39'51" N)
  • Lon:   -73.938500°   (or -73°56'18" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   40.704234°   (or 40°42'15" N)
  • Lon:   -73.917927°   (or -73°55'4" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2 miles to the south<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2395220) to New York. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of New York. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   40.663833°   (or 40°39'49" N)
  • Lon:   -73.938484°   (or -73°56'18" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 160.8 feet to the north<6> of the point given by the GNIS for New York. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for New York.

Miscellaneous Information for New York ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Kings County or the city of New York:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to New York:
  • GNIS ID for New York: 2395220
  • GNIS ID for Kings County: 974122
  • GNIS ID for State of New York: 1779796

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 36 (New York)
  • County Code: 047 (Kings County)
  • Place Code: 51000 (New York)
  • State & County Code: 36/047 (New York / Kings County)
  • State & Place Code: 36/51000 (New York / New York)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • New York is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for New York.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for New York: www.nyc.gov/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)