Astoria has always been known as a Greek cultural hub, but over the years it has become more diverse as different ethnic groups have made Astoria their home. Based on the research done by the United States Census Bureau and The Center for Urban Research, the most prominent groups that live in Astoria are Greeks, Mexicans, and Bangladeshis. Other groups that are included in Astoria’s population are people from places such as; Ecuador, China, Brazil, and several other countries across the globe. Although the countries stated above represent the main groups of people who immigrate to Astoria, the community is mostly made up of generations of Americans who have ethnic roots. Below are the different statistics of the racial and ethnic makeup in Astoria, and how it has changed since the last Census in 2010.
Race in Astoria (U.S Census Bureau)¹
| Race | Percentage | Number of People |
| White | 43.6% | 56.2k |
| Hispanic | 28.6% | 36.8k |
| Black | 10.1% | 13.0k |
| Asian | 15.2% | 19.6k |
| Mixed | 1.6% | 2,056 |
| Other | 0.9% | 1,140 |
Racially speaking Astoria is still mostly white, with the Hispanics and Asians slowly increasing in population size.
Continent of Birth (U.S Census Bureau)²
| Continent | Percentage | Number of People |
| Americas | 42.2% | 23.2k |
| Asia | 27.3% | 15.0k |
| Europe | 26.1% | 14.4k |
| Africa | 4.2% | 2,286 |
| Australia | 0.3% | 142 |
| Other | 0.0% | 10 |
Many of the people who live in Astoria now were born either in the United States, or Latin America. The portion of the population that is from the United States is represented by multiple generations of ethnic families that live in Astoria (Greek Americans being the biggest group). The other portion of the population is represented by the growing number of people from Latin America that are moving to Astoria. While people from the Americas make up a large portion of Astoria’s population, people immigrating from Asia and Europe also make up a significant number of the population, coming from countries such as Greece and China to live in Astoria. People migrating from Africa and Australia make up a very small portion of Astoria’s population, because they usually move to areas in the city that are populated by people of their specific nationality.
Country of Birth for Major Ethnic Groups (U.S Census Bureau)²
| Country | Percentage | Number of people |
| Mexico | 9.1% | 5,026 |
| Greece | 6.6% | 3,650 |
| Bangladesh | 5.7% | 3,108 |
| Colombia | 5.1% | 2,828 |
| Dominican Republic | 5.0% | 2,736 |
| Brazil | 4.6% | 2,545 |
| China | 3.5% | 1,901 |
| Korea | 3.0% | 1,630 |
| Philippines | 3.0% | 1,622 |
| Ecuador | 6.3% | 3,481 |
Based on the statistics from the Continent of Birth graph, the majority of the population in Astoria was born in the United States, making up most of the neighborhood’s ethnic makeup. However, the graph above shows that the main group of immigrants immigrating into Astoria come from Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, or Colombia. Latin Americans make up about 25% of the immigration group in Astoria, which shows that a different ethnic center is forming for incoming Latinos. Not only is there a growing population of Latinos in Astoria, the number of Asians is also increasing. The Asian immigrant population in Astoria is about 9.5%; many of them come from countries such as China, Korea, and the Philippines. As new ethnic groups grow in Astoria, one group has maintained its consistency of making Astoria its main cultural hub: the Greeks. Although Greek Americans still make up the majority of the Astoria population, Greek immigrants do not actually make up a large portion of the immigrant population entering Astoria. However, many Greeks still visit and immigrate there for it’s both the center of Greek culture in New York City and a place for Greek newcomers to reside.
As shown above, these are the main ethnic groups that enter Astoria. However there has been a change in the population over the past twenty years. Below are the statistics from the last two federal census’s, that outline the ethnic change in the past ten years.
Race/ Ethnicity Change from 2000- 2010 (Center for Urban Research)3
Asian
| 2010 Population | Change in population from 2000 | % change from 2000 | % of Asians in 2010 | % of Asians in 2000 |
| 12,759 | -1,132 | -8.2% | 16.2% | 15.6% |
Hispanic
| 2010 Population | Change in population from 2000 | % change from 2000 | % of Hispanics in 2010 | % of Hispanics in 2000 |
| 20,915 | -3,623 | -14.8% | 26.5% | 27.5% |
Black
| 2010 Population | Change in population from 2000 | % change from 2000 | % of Blacks in 2010 | % of Blacks in 2000 |
| 3,553 | 216 | 6.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
White
| 2010 Population | Change in population from 2000 | % change from 2000 | % of Whites in 2010 | % of Whites in 2000 |
| 38,749 | -1,234 | -3.1% | 49.2% | 44.9% |
“Other”
| 2010 Population | Change in population from 2000 | % change from 2000 | % of Others in 2010 | % of Other in 2000 |
| 2,817 | -4,556 | -61.8% | 3.6% | 8.3% |
Based on the data above, Whites and Hispanics are the two most dominant groups in Astoria. Their populations combined consists of approximately 60,000 people. However their populations has decreased significantly from 2000 to 2010 (approximately 4,000 people left Astoria in both groups combined). Even though Asians and “other” races make up a smaller portion of the population in Astoria, similar to the Whites and Hispanics there is a significant number of people from those groups leaving Astoria as well with about a 6,000 population decrease from both groups since 2000. In contrast, although Blacks have the lowest population size in Astoria, compared to the other racial groups listed above their population is increasing rather than decreasing.
Author: Shemika Sandy
