Snapshot of New York City's AAPI communities shatters model minority myth

New York City's Asian Americans are complicated according to a new survey.

A new survey reveals the immense diversity of New York City's Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and cautions against lumping all of the ethnic and national AAPI groups into a single generalization.

The NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) released a new analysis of the city's AAPI immigrant population during Immigrant Heritage Month. This snapshot is a testament to the economic contributions of AAPI immigrants and highlights the diversity and demographic characteristics of the City’s AAPI communities.

“Amid the disturbing rise in anti-Asian bias and discrimination, this report breaks down myths and misinformation about the community, explores the incredible diversity of API immigrant New Yorkers, and highlights both the contributions and critical needs of our API communities," said Raquel Batista, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.  

The new analysis demonstrates how the AAPI community is not a monolith; there are many variances in the social, economic, and demographic characteristics between the diverse ethnic groups within the community. 

The report is part of MOIA’s continued work with city agencies and community partners to address racial and economic inequities, especially during COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts. 

It also comes at a time of increased incidents of discrimination and violence against AAPI individuals, rooted in the long history of racism, stereotyping, and scapegoating of AAPI immigrant communities in the U.S.

READ the full report at on.nyc.gov/APIReport. 

Despite the lessening dangers presented by the pandemic, the AAPI communities continue to come under verbal and physical attack. AAPI community members continue to report increased incidents of public assaults, harassment, and hate crimes. Despite these challenges, AAPIs are serving on the front lines, risking their own health as doctors, nurses, human services workers, early childhood teachers, grocers, delivery workers, and more.

Ultimately, the MOIA's report spotlights the importance of understanding more about the unique challenges and characteristics of immigrant communities to better respond to their needs.

Key findings of the report include:

• AAPI is the fastest growing racial group in NYC, mainly driven by the influx of immigrants to the City.
• AAPI immigrants are one of the most diverse racial groups in the City, representing more than 30 different ethnic groups and speaking more than 50 languages.
• Two-thirds of AAPI immigrants are essential workers compared to 57% of White immigrants.
• AAPI and Hispanic immigrants have the highest poverty rates of all immigrant groups (24%).
• 13% of all AAPI immigrants in NYC are undocumented, slightly lower than the share of NYC immigrants overall (16%).

Following are some of the Social and Demographic Characteristics of AAPI Immigrants in NYC:

• Age. The median age for AAPI immigrants is 47 years, similar to the median age of all immigrants. Within the API population, however, there is a large difference in median age, with Nepalese immigrants being the youngest (35 years) and Filipinos being the oldest (50 years). 

• The share of AAPI immigrants who are 65 years and older is smaller than the share of White immigrants (18% compared 27%). Among API immigrants, Filipinos have the largest share of those 65 years and older (23%). 

• Sex.2 Six of the top 10 AAPI immigrant ethnic groups reported more females than males. Filipinos have the highest percent of a population that reported as female (61%) and Pakistani immigrants have the smallest percent (43%). In general, the overall population of New York City skews female (52% as does the foreign-born population (54 %). 

• English Proficiency. There is a wide ethnic group-based disparity among API immigrants with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), meaning that they self-identify as speaking English “less than very well.” Filipino immigrants have the lowest share of reported LEP (27%) among API ethnic groups, while Chinese immigrants have the highest share of reported LEP (76%). 

• Educational Attainment.3 Japanese, Filipino, Taiwanese, and Korean immigrants have the highest levels of educational attainment; over half of these groups are college graduates. Within the Chinese ethnic group there is a wide divergence in educational attainment: 24% have less than a ninth grade education while almost an equal share (27%) have attained a college degree or higher. 

• Lack of Health Insurance Coverage. Nepalese immigrants have the highest rate of uninsurance (17%), while Vietnamese immigrants are among the API ethnic groups with the lowest share (five percent) of the population that does not have health insurance. Among all immigrants in New York City, 13% do not have health insurance. 

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs promotes the well-being of NYC’s immigrant communities by advocating for policies that increase justice, equity, and empowerment. MOIA leads, supports, and manages programs that help to successfully include immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic, and cultural life of the City. 

The new analysis demonstrates how the API community is not a monolith; there are many variances in the social, economic, and demographic characteristics between the diverse ethnic groups within the community. 

In addition, the fact sheet provides information about the ethnic groups composing New York City’s API community, concentrations of API immigrants across the boroughs, and the languages spoken within the community. It also highlights digital resources to address xenophobia and anti-Asian hate available at nyc.gov/StopAsianHate. 

“Better serving our immigrant communities starts with better understanding their composition, their contributions, and the challenges they face,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives. 

“MOIA’s new fact sheet adds to our understanding of New York City’s diverse API immigrant communities, and it will be a critical resource to guide the City’s continued efforts to support and empower these communities over the next few years."