Indians in NYC: A Profile

August 31, 2022

PROFILE MATERIALS

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2016-2020 ACS 5-Year PUMS

2011-2015 ACS 5-Year PUMS

KEY FINDINGS

Asian American Federation

Population

Indian¹ population growth (+3.0%) between 2015 and 2020 was slower than the Asian²population (+6.8%). In contrast, the City population shrunk by 0.6%.

During this time, the Indian population moved away from Queens (-4.0 percentage points) and shifted into Manhattan (+1.4 percentage points), Brooklyn (+1.3 percentage points), and the Bronx (+1.0 percentage points). Even with this shift, no other Asian ethnic group has as high a proportion of its population living in Queens (58.5%) or as low a proportion living in Manhattan (15.3%).

**Note:** Children are under 18, adults are between 18-64, and seniors are 65+.

Compared to other Asian ethnic groups, the Indian population in NYC has the highest proportion of children under 18 (20.7%). However, the share of seniors in the Indian population is growing: in 2020, they were 3.7 percentage points more of the total Indian population than in 2015. The Indian population is aging faster than the broader NYC (+2.2 percentage points) and Asian (+2.6 percentage points) populations.

Immigration, Citizenship, & Mobility

Of the total Indian population in NYC, 34.1% are US-born, 41.6% are naturalized citizens, and 24.3% are non-citizens. The proportion of Indians with U.S. citizenship by birthright has gone up (+3.2 percentage points) while the proportion of non-citizens has gone down (-4.3 percentage points) since 2015. In contrast, most people in NYC became citizens by birthright (63.3%) and naturalization (20.9%). Some 15.8% of New Yorkers are non-citizens.

**Note:** ‘Past year’ indicates one year from when the survey was conducted.

Only one-third (36.7%) of New Yorkers, in general, are foreign-born, while almost two-thirds (65.9%) of Indian residents are.

11.6% of foreign-born Indians arrived in the City within five years of the survey, slightly higher than the City’s 9.5% estimate. However, only 1.9% of the Indian population had relocated to NYC from abroad within one year of the survey. In comparison, most Indians (88.8%) had not moved from their previous residence in the City.

Education & English

Education levels for Indians aged 25 and older in NYC skew towards higher education, with one-fifth (18.8%) holding less than a high school education and nearly half (47.4%) holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is more educated than the City, where only 39.0% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Indian adults are also more educated than the Asian adult population, especially in education beyond a bachelor’s degree.

**Note:** “Limited English proficiency” applies to those who do not speak English only and speak English less than very well.

The Indian community’s English proficiency levels are similar to those of NYC, with 23.8% of Indians over the age of 5 considered to have limited English proficiency (LEP) compared to the City’s rate of 22.4%. The Indian population has the highest proportion of English-only speakers (40.2%) among Asian ethnic groups.

The LEP rate is significantly lower for Indian children (5+ but under 18) at 7.0% but higher for Indian seniors (age 65+) at 40.9%.

Income & Poverty

Indian New Yorkers have an average per capita and significantly higher family and household median than New York City and Asian residents overall. Indian household median income is more than one-third higher than the New York City median.

**Note:** Near poverty is above 100% but below 200% of the poverty threshold. Children are under 18, adults are between 18-64, and seniors are 65+.

Indian poverty rates are below-average compared to both NYC and Asian populations. The same holds even when looking across age groups.

Benefits & Health

Indian households³ are enrolled in SNAP at a lower rate than both New York City households and Asian households.

The Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced the number of uninsured in NYC, and the Indian population is no exception. Between 2015 and 2020, 45.8% fewer Indian people were uninsured. As a result, only 6.7% of the Indian population is uninsured. The remaining are enrolled in private insurance (61.0%) and public insurance (38.2%).

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

Employment

**Note:** Civilian labor force participation rate is the count of civilians employed and unemployed over the total labor force (age 16 and over, including those in the military).

Female Indian labor force participation rates (56.8%), while not significantly different, are still the lowest among Asian ethnic groups. In contrast, male Indian labor participation rates (74.1%) are above the City average by 5.6 percentage points.

**Note:** Calculated over the civilian labor force.

Indian unemployment rates are lower than City rates, but female Indian unemployment rates (5.8%) are the highest among Asian ethnic groups.

Indian employees are more likely to be self-employed than the City and Asian populations. This higher rate is driven by male Indian employees, while female Indian employees are self-employed at lower rates than overall and Asian employed populations.

Over half (59.3%) of the Indian labor force is employed by five industries. The highest percentage of Indians employed by a single industry is 15.3% in medicine. Just under half (46.8%) of Indian people employed in medicine work in general medical, surgical, and specialty hospitals, followed by 17.4% in home health care services.

Housing

Average household size, NYC, 2015 and 2020

Household group	2015	2020
Overall	2.65	2.57
Asian	3.10	2.98
Indian	3.28	3.12

Indian household³ sizes in 2020 were larger than City households (3.12 people versus 2.57 people) and the largest among Asian ethnic groups. In general, average household sizes have decreased in New York City since 2015, and Indian households are no exception.

**Note:** Overcrowding is defined as more than one person per room.

Indian households^³ are more likely to be overcrowded than City households, with 13.9% of Indian households experiencing overcrowding. This is the highest rate of overcrowding among Asian ethnic groups.

Indian households³ own their homes at a higher rate and rent at a lower rate than City and Asian households. While only one-third of City households (32.4%) are owned, almost half (43.7%) of Indian households are owned.

**Note:** A household is considered rent burdened if between 30%-50% of household income is spent on gross rent and severely rent burdened if over 50% of household income is spent on gross rent.

While a smaller percentage of Indian households³ rent, the ones that do tend to be severely rent burdened. 72.4% of rented Indian households are rent burdened in some capacity, with the majority qualifying as severely rent burdened. These rates are similar to City (72.3% of rented households qualify as rent burdened) and Asian households (75.3%).

Technology

**Note:** A household is considered to own a computer if they own a desktop or laptop, a smartphone, a tablet or other portable wireless computer, or some other type of computer.

Indian households³ report owning a computer at higher rates than Asian and City households.

Indian households³ also report higher internet access rates than Asian and City households.

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

²Asian 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 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 2022 and are based on the 2015 and 2020 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. Highlighted statistics, including those not found on charts, are sourced via this profile’s detailed data and documentation. 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 linying.he@aafederation.org, or visit our Census Center.

Annie Wang is AAF’s summer 2022 research intern and a master’s student studying International Migration Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY. You can reach her at awang3@gradcenter.cuny.edu.