The Aging Apple: Older Immigrants a Rising Share of New York's Seniors

This data brief updates an earlier (2013) report on New York's immigrant senior population. Immigrant seniors now represent an even larger share of the total senior population in the city, reaching almost 50 percent of the total (up from 46 percent in 2010).  The data brief reports trends in the senior population by nativity for the five boroughs, for particular neighborhoods, and for selected countries of origin. As a group, immigrant seniors are 1.5 times as likely as native-born seniors to be poor, and almost two out of three speak English less than very well, creating challenges for organizations trying to serve them effectively. The median income of immigrant seniors citywide is $10,800, roughly half that of native-born seniors, which is $20,800. One reason for the gap is the fact that 33 percent of older immigrants do not qualify to receive Social Security benefits, compared to 17 percent of native-born seniors. (American Immigrant Policy Portal)

Download now or view online