Using data from the 1990 and 2000 United States censuses, this profile outlines characteristics and trends among New York City’s rapidly-growing Asian Indian population. The U.S. Census Bureau defines as “Asian Indian” people who indicated their race as Asian Indian, Bengalese, Bharat, Dravidian, East Indian, or Goanese. This population group is also referred to and self-identified as “Indian American.” That term and “Indian” also will be used in this profile.

This demographic portrait presents statistics on population size, growth, immigration, citizenship status, educational attainment, English ability, income, poverty, and housing. Comparisons with New York City’s total population will be used to provide perspective.

Among notable traits, census data show tremendous growth in New York City’s Indian population as it more than doubled from 1990 to 2000. In addition, compared with New York City residents overall, in 2000, the Indian population had higher post-secondary education levels, better English skills, higher median household and family incomes, and a lower child poverty rate. However, Indians also had lower per capita income and substantially larger households.

POPULATION: From 1990 to 2000, the Indian population in New York City jumped by 118 percent, from 94,590 to 206,228, far exceeding the city’s overall 9 percent increase and the 71 percent expansion of the city’s total Asian population. In raw numbers, the addition of 111,638 Indian New Yorkers represented the second-largest amount of growth among Asian groups in the city in the last decade.

The second-largest Asian group in New York City in 2000, Indians comprised nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of the city’s Asian population ----- up from 19 percent in 1990, when Indians held the same position among Asian groups.

About 70 percent of the Indian population in New York State lived in New York City as of the last census. Within New York City, in 2000, the majority (63 percent, or 129,715) of Indians lived in Queens, followed by Brooklyn (with 16 percent, or 32,498); the Bronx (9 percent, or 19,305); Manhattan (9 percent, or 17,592); and Staten Island (3 percent, or 7,118).

By age, 26 percent (51,950) of the city’s Indian residents were children (under 17); 71 percent (143,909) were working-age adults (18 to 64); and 4 percent (7,787) were senior citizens (65 and older).

IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP: More than three-quarters (77 percent, or 157,240) of New York City’s Indian population in 2000 was foreign-born, compared with about one-third (36 percent) of all city residents.

Most Indian immigrants in New York City came to the United States in the last 20 years, fueling recent population growth. Specifically, 52 percent (81,955) immigrated from 1990 to March 2000; 35 percent (54,576) came to this country from 1980 to 1989; and 13 percent (20,709) arrived before 1980. Of the city’s Indian immigrants counted in the 2000 census, 32 percent (65,898) were naturalized citizens, compared with 45 percent of all New York City immigrants ----- a difference reflecting the extent of recent Indian immigration. In fact, Indians in the city obtained citizenship faster than foreign-born New Yorkers as a whole. According to 2000 census data, 61 percent of foreign-born Indian New Yorkers became citizens within 20 years, surpassing 49 percent of foreign-born residents city-wide.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: Education levels for Indians in 2000 were similar to or, particularly at the upper end of the academic ladder, higher than those for the general New York City population. Out of the city’s total Indian adult population (128,995), 27 percent (35,343) had not graduated from high school, compared with 28 percent of adults citywide. Also, 13 percent (16,688) of all adult Indian New Yorkers had less than a ninth-grade education, compared with 15 percent of all city adults.

At the high end of the educational spectrum, 51 percent (66,255) of Indian adults in New York City had some form of post-secondary education, compared with 48 percent of all city adults.

The vast majority of Indian children in the city (86 percent, or 35,688) were enrolled in the New York City public school system, exceeding 81 percent of all New York City children.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY: New York City’s Indian adults spoke English much better than adults city-wide in 2000, with lower degrees of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) ----- both overall and by age group. Nine percent (17,747) of the total Indian adult population spoke English “not well” or “not at all,” compared with 14 percent of all city adults. In terms of age, the LEP classification applied to 10 percent (13,986) of Indian working-age adults (age 18 to 64) and 26 percent (2,025) of Indian senior citizens (65 and older), compared with 13 percent of working-age adults and 18 percent of senior citizens throughout the city.

INCOME: 2000 census information illustrates two facets of income conditions for Indian New Yorkers. Indian median household income of $45,155 and median family income of $46,084 exceeded corresponding overall city figures of $38,293 and $41,887, respectively. However, Indian per capita income was $18,473, less than $22,402 city-wide. The disparity between Indian median household and family income on the one hand and Indian per capita income on the other hand partly reflects a larger average household size for Indians than for New Yorkers as a whole.

POVERTY: Poverty rates for Indians in relation to the total New York City population were lower overall and for children but higher for the elderly as of the 2000 census.

Among all Indians in the city, 18 percent (35,666) lived below the poverty line, compared with an overall New York City poverty rate of 21 percent. By age category, 23 percent (11,749) of the city’s Indian children lived in poverty ----- fewer than in the city overall, which had a 30 percent child-poverty rate.

Eighty-one percent (or 9,391) of the city’s Indian children in poverty lived in two-parent families, compared with 34 percent of all city children in poverty. 20 percent (1,518) of Indian senior citizens lived in poverty, which is higher than the 18 percent poverty rate for senior citizens city-wide.

HOUSING: Indian New Yorkers in 2000 had an average household size of 3.41 people, much larger than that for the general New York City population (2.59).

Higher occupancy of Indian homes also suggests the necessity-based existence of multiple rent-payers in a housing unit ----- a factor that could inflate household income artificially and signify overcrowding. The majority of Indians in New York City lived in rented homes in 2000. According to the census, 65 percent of Indians in the city rented and 35 percent owned their homes, compared with 70 percent renters and 30 percent homeowners in the city overall.

(Source: The Asian American Federation of New York)