Latinos make up two-thirds of New York’s population

People of Latin American origin represented from 2010 to 2020 Two-thirds of New Yorkers, that is to say, have grown 15% with respect to the previous decade, according to a statement from the National Association of Latino Elected and Designated (NALEO, acronym in English) this Tuesday.

Of the 20.2 million people in New York State, Latinos currently represent 19.5%, with a total population of 3,948,032, according to the census data released by Naleo; in 2010, that percentage was 17.6%.

Of the 823,147 new inhabitants of the state in the past decade, 64.5% are Latino; Of the non-Latinos, only the population of Asian origin grows at a similar rate (510,912 new inhabitants), while the decline in the population identified as “white” is striking (705,340 fewer inhabitants).

In addition, the percentage of the young population also favors Latinos: of those under 18 years of age, Latinos have increased by 5.1%, while non-Latinos have decreased (-7.8%).

In 2020, the percentage of whites slightly exceeds half of the population (52.5%), and Latinos are clearly the second human group, ahead of blacks and Asians, in that order.

The Latino population grows in all counties, but its distribution is very uneven: It is the absolute majority in Bronx County (54.8% of the entire census), exceeds a quarter in Queens (27.8%) and Wetchester (26.8%) and is close to that percentage also in Manhattan (the most urban center in the entire state), where they are already 23.8% of the population.

These census data “demonstrate that Latinos are the future, both in New York City and throughout the state,” said Naleo director Arturo Vargas, who encouraged political conclusions: “Policy makers must take note of this and make sure they are accountable to the Latino population in every decision-making process. ” (I)