Brooklyn is New York City's most populous of five boroughs and the second-largest in size. It has the same boundaries as Kings County, which is also the most populous county in the state and the second-most densely populated county in the country after New York County/Manhattan. If it were a city, Brooklyn would be the 4th most populous in the United States.
Brooklyn has an estimated population of 2.6 million with a very high population density of 36,732 people per square mile, or 14,182 per square kilometer. The history of the borough goes back 350 years and it has long been known as a popular destination for immigrants to the United States.
At the 2010 Census, the racial and ethnic breakdown of Brooklyn was:
Brooklyn has a high female-to-male ratio with 88 males for every 100 females. It also has the largest lesbian community of any New York City borough.
There are many languages spoken in the borough, including Spanish (17%), Chinese (6.5%), Russian (5.5%), Yiddish (3.5%), French Creole (2.75%), Italian (1.3%), Hebrew (1.2%), Polish (1%), French (1%), Arabic (0.9%), Indic languages (0.8%) and Urdu (0.7%). A very high 38% of Brooklyn residents are foreign born.
Brooklyn has many well-known neighborhoods, each reflecting the ever-changing population. The Brownsville neighborhood, for example, had a majority of Jewish people through the middle of the 20th century but it is now mostly African American. Meanwhile, Midwood was mostly Irish during the beginning of the 20th century, then Jewish, and today it has a thriving Pakistani population.
Neighborhoods in Brooklyn are becoming more mixed with more immigrants integrating into the various areas.
Neighborhoods and their corresponding major ethnic groups:
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other race
Two or more races
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 985,108 | 2.71 | 30.7 | 69.3 |
Non Family | 385,320 | 1.37 | 20.2 | 79.8 |
Married | 372,231 | 3.68 | 44.9 | 55.1 |
Female | 173,826 | 3.41 | 23.8 | 76.2 |
Male | 53,731 | 3.35 | 30.1 | 69.9 |
3.46
Average Family Size
2.71
Average Household Size
30.7%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
55.7% of Brooklyn residents speak only English, while 44.3% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other Indo-European, which is spoken by 17.78% of the population.
rate
18.79%
Overall Poverty Rate
17.59%
Male Poverty Rate
19.89%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Brooklyn is Islander, with 63.73% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Brooklyn is White, with 15.91% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.6%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.73%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 33.26%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
40.3%
Overall Marriage Rate
44.0%
Male Marriage Rate
37.0%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
12.59%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.06%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
63.7%
Labor Force Participation
59.1%
Employment Rate
7.1%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
49.72%
Born in Brooklyn
65.33%
Native Born
35.65%
Foreign Born
13.64%
Non Citizen
22.01%
Naturalized
65.33% of Brooklyn residents were born in the United States, with 49.72% having been born in NY. 13.64% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.