NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Releases New Analysis Of NYC's Asian and Pacific Islander Immigrant Population

Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs


Press Release


NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Releases New Analysis Of NYC's Asian and Pacific Islander Immigrant Population

For Immediate Release: June 25, 2021
Contact: mediabox@moia.nyc.gov

Report on demographic and economic characteristics of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community in NYC highlights diversity, growth, settlement patterns, immigration status and more.

NEW YORK—The NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) has released a new analysis of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) immigrant population residing in New York City. In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, this snapshot is a testament to the economic contributions of API immigrants and highlights the diversity and demographic characteristics of the City’s API community.

The report is part of MOIA’s continued work with city agencies and community partners to address racial and economic inequities, especially during COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts. It also comes at a time of increased incidents of discrimination and violence against API individuals, rooted in the long history of racism, stereotyping, and scapegoating of API immigrant communities in the United States. Ultimately, the report spotlights the importance of understanding more about the unique challenges and characteristics of immigrant communities to better respond to their needs.

Key findings of the report include:

API is the fastest growing racial group in NYC, mainly driven by the influx of immigrants to the City.

API immigrants are one of the most diverse racial groups in the City, representing more than 30 different ethnic groups and speaking more than 50 languages.

Two-thirds of API immigrants are essential workers compared to 57 percent of White immigrants.

API and Hispanic immigrants have the highest poverty rates of all immigrant groups (24 percent).

13 percent of all API immigrants in NYC are undocumented, slightly lower than the share of NYC immigrants overall (16 percent).

Download the full report at on.nyc.gov/APIReport. A livestreamed presentation on the report’s key findings, in addition to the presentation deck and the report’s appendix, are available on MOIA’s Research & Evaluations page.

The new analysis demonstrates how the API community is not a monolith; there are many variances in the social, economic, and demographic characteristics between the diverse ethnic groups within the community. In addition, the fact sheet provides information about the ethnic groups composing New York City’s API community, concentrations of API immigrants across the boroughs, and the languages spoken within the community. It also highlights digital resources to address xenophobia and anti-Asian hate available at nyc.gov/StopAsianHate.

“Better serving our immigrant communities starts with better understanding their composition, their contributions, and the challenges they face,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives. “MOIA’s new fact sheet adds to our understanding of New York City’s diverse API immigrant communities, and it will be a critical resource to guide the City’s continued efforts to support and empower these communities over the next few years. I applaud Commissioner Batista and her team for leading this important work as we continue to chart a just and equitable pandemic recovery.”

“This Immigrant Heritage Month, MOIA is proud to advance our commitment to supporting immigrant New Yorkers with our new analysis of Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant communities in New York City,” said Raquel Batista, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “Amid the disturbing rise in anti-Asian bias and discrimination, this report breaks down myths and misinformation about the community, explores the incredible diversity of API immigrant New Yorkers, and highlights both the contributions and critical needs of our API communities. Using this new research, MOIA will continue working with and advocating for NYC's API communities to ensure a strong recovery and to build a more integrated city for all New Yorkers.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, New York City’s API immigrants are essential to our Immigrant City,” said May Malik, Deputy Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “By examining the immense diversity within the API community and the issues they face, this report will serve as a critical resource for the City in its continued efforts to dismantle anti-Asian bias and economic barriers within the community, and to pursue a just and equitable COVID-19 recovery for all New Yorkers.”

About the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) promotes the well-being of NYC’s immigrant communities by advocating for policies that increase justice, equity, and empowerment. MOIA leads, supports, and manages programs that help to successfully include immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic, and cultural life of the City. For more information on all MOIA services and the City’s many resources for immigrant New Yorkers, go to nyc.gov/immigrants; call the MOIA hotline at 212-788-7654 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday or send an email to AskMOIA@cityhall.nyc.gov; and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Medium.