The U.S. Census may have rejected New York City's challenge to their 2010 count of our population, but at least they acknowledge we're still a growing city. In fact, new census estimates have us growing at a pace not seen since the 1990s. In the last 15 months we've gained nearly 70,000 people. For comparison, the entire city of Albany is about 97,000. (You'd think misery would want more company!) more ›

New York City is not as big as it thinks, officially. Last year, after the 2010 Census results were released, the city challenged the federal government's numbers arguing that the deccennial survey's count of 8.2 million was a good quarter-million short. Tough luck, the Census Bureau essentially said today while smacking down the challenge. more ›

While just last week we reported that Manhattan's Chinatown was losing its Chinese edge to Chinatowns in Flushing and Sunset Park, it turns out that we were forgetting one other nouveau Chinese hotspot...Harlem. more ›

Manhattan's Chinatown might want to think of a new name, because it's not actually home to the most Chinese people anymore, according to new city data. If you want to get in with the Chinese crowd these days, Sunset Park and Flushing are where it's at. more ›

According to Census data released yesterday, the population of Manhattan dropped by 2,545 people from 2008 to 2009. While the borough still shows an overall gain since 2000—from 1,540,373 to 1,629,054—it's the first time the population has dropped in the past ten years. more ›

In a major demographic shift for a neighborhood that has long been "synonymous with black urban America," the majority of Harlem residents are no longer black, according to the Times. In a decade when Harlem's population grew more than it has since the 1940s, the number of black residents has fallen to its lowest point since the 1920s. more ›

It's time to stand up and be counted, because the Census is back. A national campaign to boost U.S. Census participation started yesterday in Times Square, and over the next few months advertisements will be rolling out encouraging people to fill out the 10-question forms. But why should you spend your precious time filling out more forms? more ›

Terrifying! There are reportedly tiny, pink, hairless rodents falling out of their nests and, lucky for them, into the hands of rescuers. The Daily News reports that the number of baby squirrels in town has grown, and Sean Casey at Animal Rescue in Windsor Terrace says it's because "The warmer climate is allowing squirrels to breed later into the season, and so they have more babies. That's probably what's been causing the influx." more ›

The city may never sleep, but there are significantly less people in it during the witching hours. This neat illustration shows just how many people commute in for work only to go enjoy their nights in... Jersey? If you look closely you'll also see that Roosevelt Island's population doubles at night; what exactly is going on over there? more ›

No fancy-schmancy tally counters here: many of the supervisors don't even use pen and paper to take census; they just "estimate" mentally and log the numbers later. As Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh explains, "Crowd estimates are notoriously difficult to do well or accurately...Beaches in particular pose a challenge because beaches are pretty dynamic places. People are flowing in and out all the time." more ›

U.S. Census estimates released yesterday show the city grew by more than 53,000 people during the one-year period ending in July 2008, raising the total population of all five boroughs to 8.36 million. While that's a slightly smaller increase than in 2007, it's still the most growth of any U.S. city in absolute numerical terms, edging out Phoenix, Houston, and Los Angeles. Staten Island appears to have fueled much of that growth—the population there shot up almost 1 percent—while the Bronx was the slowest growing borough at 0.5 percent. Where is this growth coming from? Well, fewer are coming but fewer are going, as immigration is down while emigration is slowing, according to chief demographer for NY Joseph Salvo. And having babies always helps, too—the city experienced the most births since 2001. more ›

Make room, please: The outward migration of New Yorkers relocating to the exburbs has been dramatically reversed. According to recent census data, between '07 and '08 NYC had the smallest out-migration since at least 1990, and it's part of what may be a nationwide reversal of a decade-long trend, which saw major cities losing residents to cheaper housing and job opportunities in smaller communities. A Brookings Institution analysis has found that the population growth in urban areas mirrors a slowdown in migration magnets like Riverside-San Bernardino, which recorded the first migration loss since the mid-1990s. more ›

A negative byproduct of the disparities between New York and the rest of the country is that after every Census, Congressional seats are reapportioned based on population. Each state will always have two Senators, but New York is likely to lose at least one seat in the House of Representatives. more ›

A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that foreign born immigrants living in New York are socioeconomically closer to the average citizen than elsewhere in the country. The study says that New York immigrants are more likely to be in the country legally, have health insurance and tend to be better educated. The New York Times reports that the states with the widest income gaps between immigrants and citizens are California, Texas,... more ›

Back in 2006, the city challenged the U.S. Census Bureau's claim that NYC's population was 8.168 million. The city's stance was that it was closer to 8.2 million - which also means more federal funding. Now, over a year later, the Census Bureau agreed and said that NYC's population is a whopping 8.250,567 - an all-time high! This means the city will get an additional $77 million in federal money by 2010. Mayor Bloomberg... more ›