The Most Diverse Neighborhoods in New York

Population and Social Characteristics

Published: April 3, 2024 2:50 pm

The metropolitan city of New York is known for being the world’s financial capital, a global center for art, fashion, music, and much more, and it is where the United Nations resides. So while the United States’ overall racial and ethnic diversity has increased since 2010, according to 2020 Census analyses, New York’s has already been one of the most diverse cities.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, millions of immigrants, mainly from European countries, who sailed to the United States came through New York Harbor and were processed at Ellis Island. Many also chose to stay in New York. In fact, it is estimated that close to 40% of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island.

Another contributing factor to the city’s diversity was the Great Migration of 1910 to 1970. At the time, Black Americans moved in droves from the South to Northern, Midwestern, and Western states, pursuing economic and educational opportunities, and fleeing oppression of Jim Crow. It is considered one of the largest movements of people in United States history. In the First Great Migration (1910-1940) particularly, Black Americans moved to Midwest and Northern cities, including New York.

To better understand diversity within New York City, 24/7 Wall St. calculated an index similar to that the Census Bureau developed that measures the chance that two people chosen at random will be from different race and ethnicity groups.

Reviewing five-year data on race and ethnicity from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, neighborhoods in New York City were ranked based on that probability. Racial and ethnic groups include white, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, some other race alone, and two or more races.

By far, Queens has the most neighborhoods on the list, at 22, followed by Staten Island at 12, Brooklyn at eight, Manhattan at five, and Bronx at three. (Also see: Most Diverse Neighborhoods On the West Coast.)

Housing is very expensive in New York, including in the most diverse neighborhood listed here. None of the 50 neighborhoods has a typical home value that is lower than the U.S. typical home value in November 2023 of $342,099. In fact, 41 of the 50 neighborhoods have a typical housing value above half a million dollars.

Full Methodology

To determine the most diverse neighborhoods, 24/7 Tempo reviewed five-year data on race and ethnicity from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Neighborhoods were ranked based on the probability that two residents picked at random will be of different race or ethnicity. Racial and ethnic groups include white, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, some other race alone, and two or more races. The probability that any two residents picked at random will belong to a different racial or ethnic category is equivalent to the sum of the squares of each group’s share of the population, subtracted from 1. The same method is used in the USA Today Diversity Index as well as the racial and ethnic diversity index of the Disseminating Diversity Working Group of the Census Bureau.

Data on population by race and ethnicity were aggregated from the census tract level to the neighborhood level using 2022 census tract boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau and 2017 neighborhood boundary definitions from Zillow. Census tracts with at least 50% spatial overlap within the neighborhood boundary were included in population aggregation. Data on estimated median home value is the November 2023 Zillow Home Value Index, a measure of typical home values for homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range.