Biggest sources of immigrants to New York City

Written by:
April 4, 2021
Tracey Dos Santos // Wikimedia Commons

Biggest sources of immigrants to New York

Nearly 14% of the United States population is composed of immigrants. But in reality, the vast majority of Americans today are here because of relatives who immigrated from other countries some time in the last several hundred years.

And while the distinctive American culture and spirit is the result of blending many diverse cultures and histories, the United States has for centuries had an up-and-down relationship with immigration.

Each era of immigration has been met with reductive ideas and resistance, whether the backlash was directed toward the Chinese, Irish, Italians, or Mexicans. Immigration laws have targeted specific groups at various times, stoking intolerance and preventing people from truly joining American society. Over time, however, as laws changed to be more equitable and immigrants found their footings, we have reaped the rewards of innovation in business, music, art, literature, dance, food, societal norms, entertainment, and sports—all while realizing a greater understanding of and respect for different cultures, religions, and ideas.

Stacker compiled a list of the countries most immigrants to New York come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in New York as of 2019’s five-year estimates.

Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home city.

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Ninara // Wikimedia Commons

#50. Iran

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 19,918
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 382,260
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #23 most common country of origin
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SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#49. Panama

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 19,925
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 103,299
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #58 most common country of origin
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agchinook // Shutterstock

#48. Venezuela

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 20,823
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 349,720
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #27 most common country of origin
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Augustin Lazaroiu // Shutterstock

#47. Romania

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 21,249
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 162,046
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #45 most common country of origin
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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#46. Spain

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 21,445
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 115,113
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #55 most common country of origin
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Pawel Kazmierczak // Shutterstock

#45. Grenada

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 23,405
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 34,782
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #99 most common country of origin
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RossHelen // Shutterstock

#44. Albania

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 25,472
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 89,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #65 most common country of origin
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Pixabay

#43. Turkey

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 26,044
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 119,380
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #54 most common country of origin
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Quangpraha // Pixabay

#42. Vietnam

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 26,296
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 1,336,988
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #6 most common country of origin
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ackats // Shutterstock

#41. Barbados

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 27,172
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 54,231
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #81 most common country of origin
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Tupungato // Shutterstock

#40. France

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 27,895
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 181,554
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #41 most common country of origin
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Evgeniya Uvarova // Shutterstock

#39. Argentina

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 29,346
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 194,435
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #39 most common country of origin
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Gregory DALLEAU // Unsplash

#38. Ireland

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 30,536
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 121,469
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #53 most common country of origin
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Pixabay

#37. Uzbekistan

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 30,826
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 62,517
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #79 most common country of origin
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Unsplash

#36. Japan

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 33,587
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 345,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #29 most common country of origin
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Juan P. Verni // Flickr

#35. Greece

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 33,723
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 129,765
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #51 most common country of origin
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Wikimedia Commons

#34. Israel

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 34,887
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 135,672
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #50 most common country of origin
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Pedro Szekely // Flickr

#33. Portugal

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 38,132
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 171,118
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #44 most common country of origin
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PIxabay

#32. Taiwan

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 40,243
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 381,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin
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Max Pixel

#31. Germany

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 42,921
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 560,368
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%
- #17 most common country of origin
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Rjruiziii // Wikicommons

#30. Ghana

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 43,269
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 178,388
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #43 most common country of origin
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Unsplash

#29. Canada

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 45,308
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 808,566
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #11 most common country of origin
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Diego Delso // Wikimedia Commons

#28. Hong Kong

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 46,945
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 231,275
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #36 most common country of origin
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OpenUpEd // Flickr

#27. Nigeria

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 47,704
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 350,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #26 most common country of origin
25 / 50
Prin Adulyatham // Shutterstock

#26. Egypt

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 50,126
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 191,452
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #40 most common country of origin
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Catarina Belova // Shutterstock

#25. Brazil

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 52,824
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 433,479
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #20 most common country of origin
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Falkenpost // Pixabay

#24. Cuba

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 61,516
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.1%

National
- Number of residents: 1,289,875
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
- #7 most common country of origin
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User:Colin // Wikimedia Commons

#23. United Kingdom

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 67,231
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 698,612
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
- #14 most common country of origin
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Saqib Rizvi // Shutterstock

#22. Pakistan

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 74,836
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%

National
- Number of residents: 376,127
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin
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Marek Poplawski // Shutterstock

#21. Honduras

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 78,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.4%

National
- Number of residents: 651,123
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #16 most common country of origin
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Unsplash

#20. Ukraine

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 82,854
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 345,250
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin
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Viacheslav Lopatin // Shutterstock

#19. Russia

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 84,433
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 391,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin
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Kobby Dagan // Shutterstock

#18. Guatemala

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 90,428
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%

National
- Number of residents: 979,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin
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Nahlik // Shutterstock

#17. Poland

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 100,176
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%

National
- Number of residents: 410,841
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #21 most common country of origin
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Kalamazadkhan // Wikicommons

#16. Trinidad and Tobago

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 102,603
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%

National
- Number of residents: 230,035
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #37 most common country of origin
36 / 50
Denys Yelmanov // Shutterstock

#15. Bangladesh

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 105,026
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%

National
- Number of residents: 237,288
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #35 most common country of origin
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Christian Vinces // Shutterstock

#14. Peru

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 105,948
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 451,076
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin
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Pixabay

#13. Italy

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 108,060
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 332,857
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #30 most common country of origin
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Kys951 // Wikimedia Commons

#12. South Korea

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 140,006
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%

National
- Number of residents: 1,044,634
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin
40 / 50
Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

#11. Philippines

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 147,307
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,983,939
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin
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JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

#10. El Salvador

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 147,506
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,381,008
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin
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Kendra Helmer // Wikimedia Commons

#9. Haiti

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 162,023
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%

National
- Number of residents: 672,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #15 most common country of origin
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Tracey Dos Santos // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Guyana

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 170,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%

National
- Number of residents: 271,092
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #31 most common country of origin
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Alexander Canas Arango // Shutterstock

#7. Colombia

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 174,166
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%

National
- Number of residents: 761,374
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #12 most common country of origin
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Michael Shade // Wikicommons

#6. Ecuador

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 240,623
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.2%

National
- Number of residents: 438,474
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #19 most common country of origin
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byvalet // Shutterstock

#5. Jamaica

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 247,610
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.4%

National
- Number of residents: 741,386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #13 most common country of origin
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Jakub Hejtmánek // Wikicommons

#4. Mexico

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 283,513
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.0%

National
- Number of residents: 11,250,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.6%
- #1 most common country of origin
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Kriangkrai Thitimakorn // Shutterstock

#3. India

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 354,470
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.2%

National
- Number of residents: 2,561,906
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
- #2 most common country of origin
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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#2. China

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 435,607
- Percent of foreign born residents: 7.7%

National
- Number of residents: 2,162,395
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin
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Pixabay

#1. Dominican Republic

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area
- Number of residents: 641,014
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.3%

National
- Number of residents: 1,118,147
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
- #8 most common country of origin

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