Summary
Chinatown is home to the largest population of Chinese people within the entire Western Hemisphere; according to the 2010 census, approximately 30,451 Chinese people live there. This means that of the 49,871 total people (and this number is said to be grossly underestimated) living in the neighborhood, the majority, 61.2 percent, is Chinese. There is no other ethnic group present within the neighborhood that even compares to the dense concentration of the Chinese. The next most significant population is the white population, making up for 19.1% of people in the neighborhood.
Thus, with 22.3 percent of the population being foreign-born, many people in the neighborhood are poor immigrants who have come to America in search of work or political freedom. Otherwise, they are likely to be the children of such immigrants. The community is thus plagued with limited English proficiency and low educational attainment. Out of Chinatown’s entire population, 50.7 percent have LEP, or limited English proficiency. In terms of educational attainment, 28.5 percent of Chinatown has completed less than the equivalent of 9th grade in schooling, which compared to Manhattan’s overall 6 percent in this category, is extremely detrimental to the community.
This accounts for the low median household income of only $41,635, significantly lower than New York City’s $50,331 overall, as 21.5 percent of Chinatown’s population works in the arts, entertainment, or food service, a rather low paying field. Poverty is even worse among the elderly, who have even higher levels of LEP (71 percent) and educational attainment. 39 percent of Chinatown’s elderly are living in poverty, which compared to New York City’s 24 percent overall, is an extremely grim statistic.
