THE PEOPLING OF NEW YORK: MHC @ Lehman

Jackson Heights is an extremely diverse neighborhood; people from all around the world have immigrated to Jackson Heights, finding jobs, homes, and more. Gaining popularity in the 1970’s, Jackson Heights has continued to grow in many ways, both in terms of the people living there, the industry it provides, housing, and more. In the 1990’s, Queens became the most ethnically diverse area around the world, Jackson Heights become one of the main areas of domain.

Totaling at around 98,119 people per square mile, with an equal divide between men and women, Jackson Heights has much to offer to the people that reside in and commute to Jackson Heights to work. The average age is 38, and a large percentage of the population are families. The average household income is $57,000- which is not very high. Jackson Heights is an area in which people can still have the amenities they desire, nice households, and a good neighborhood, yet still have a low income. There is an unemployment rate of 7.60%, which is not terrible, considering the unemployment rate in the United States is 8.50%. The majority of the population works in the service industry, at 26.61% and sales and office, at 24.97%. The majority of the neighborhood is a high school graduate, at 69.26%, and 13.71% has attended a 4 year college. This is a growing percentage, as many of the people who live in Jackson Heights have immigrated and have had children, who are attending high schools and colleges.

Today, the area is predominantly Hispanics, at 61.04%. The second greatest population is non-hispanics, at 38.96%. There are many other races and ethnicities that reside in Jackson Heights, including Asians, American Indians, Non Hispanics, Blacks, Whites, Bengalis, Nepalese, and more . As a result of the bustling, diverse, community, there are parades and markets geared towards families and residents throughout the year. In terms of religion, only 50% of the neighborhood is considered “religious”. The most popular religion throughout the area is Catholicism, at 28.89%, followed by Judaism, at 10.68%. Other commonly practiced religions in the area include Islam, Protestant, Lutheran, and more. The majority of the population is democratic, at 71.66% and only 27.41% is Republican.

With time, Jackson Heights has been an improving neighborhood. During the 1980s and 1990s, crime was at an all time high. From 1993 to 2008 though, crime decreased more than 79%! The murder rate has improved dramatically as well, down over 82%!

Taking into account the densely diverse neighborhood, it is a constantly growing area. There are more people moving into the area every day, contributing to the demographic. There is a very small percentage of vacant homes in Jackson Heights, only 2.01%, while there are 72.23% that are currently being rented. This is vastly different from the percentage of homes being rented in reference to the percentage in the US, which is 21.45%

Jackson Heights is an excellent location to see many races, ethnicities, and to get an idea of what Queen is all about. It can provide solace to many in many different ways, and is an excellent place to grow up in.