African & Filipino immigrant population in NYC

Delivered March 7th, 2018. Contributors: Ezeonye S., Paulina P., Lu J. and

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African Immigrants in NYC - Demographics and Psychographics

Our research reveals a total of 154,885 African-born immigrants live in the greater New York City area. It is estimated that 61,903 African-born migrants reside in the Bronx, 36,086 reside in Brooklyn, 24,013 reside in Manhattan, 22,380 live in Queens, and 10,503 live in Staten Island. African-born immigrants living in the United States enjoy leisure activities, such as watching movies, visiting friends, socializing, having parties, and barbecuing for recreation. Migrants are concerned with government policies on immigration, especially after President Trump's success in the last polls. Below is a deep dive into our findings.
MethodologyWe searched through press releases, government sites, and media pages for information on African immigrants living in the greater New York City area. We were able to find some data specific to African immigrants in New York City. However, when we could not identify information on African immigrants living in New York City, we used information for African-born immigrants living in the United States, in general. Additionally, due to the limited amount of research on some aspects of your question, we have used some sources that were published outside the typical two-year time frame of a Wonder project.  These sources were included because despite the date of publication, they contribute meaningful insights that were not duplicated in more recent publications. The details of our research are as follows.
PopulationIn a 2016 population analysis of immigrants living in NYC, it was determined that a total of 154,885 African-born immigrants live in the greater New York City area. The total population includes 8,872 from Eastern Africa, 32,700 from Northern Africa, 89,505 from Western Africa, 9,636 from Middle and Southern Africa, and 14,172 total Africa N.E.C. Within New York City, population analysis has also shown that 61,903 African-born migrants reside in the Bronx, 36,086 reside in Brooklyn, 24,013 reside in Manhattan, 22,380 live in Queens, and 10,503 live in Staten Island.
OccupationsAfrican immigrants are employed in a wide range of sectors in the United States. We searched exhaustively for information on the most prevalent occupation for migrants specifically in New York City, but this information was unavailable. As a result, we used general data for the United States. Our findings revealed that 38% of Sub-Saharan African immigrants and 40% of Northern African immigrants are employed in the management, business, science, and arts sectors. It was reported that 26% of Sub-Saharan and 14% of Northern African immigrants are likely to be employed in the service sectors. Additionally, 18% of Sub-Saharan and 26% of Middle Eastern and Northern African immigrants are employed in the sales and office sectors. Our findings indicated that 15% of all African immigrants are employed in the production, transportation, and material moving sectors. Also, 3% of Sub-Saharan and 5% of Northern African immigrants are employed in the natural resources, construction and maintenance sectors.

Based on their high level of education, South African and Nigerian migrants are most likely to occupy management positions.  Our research also reveals that African immigrants are twice as likely to work in the healthcare sector than other members of the overall population in the United States. In the United States, there are "32,500 [African-born immigrants employed as] nursing, psychiatric or home health aides, more than 46,000 registered nurses and more than 15,700 doctors and surgeons".
ValuesOur research shows that education, earning potential, and family are the most important values for African-born migrants coming to the United States. The percentage of African immigrants aged 25 years and above with a college degree and beyond speaks volumes as to how important education is to them. It is estimated that 39% of Sub-Saharan and 43% of Northern African immigrants have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, while 63% of Egyptian migrants and 60% of Libyan migrants have the same level of education. Also, many Nigerian (57%), South African (57%), Kenyan (44%), Ghanaian (40%), Liberian (32%), and Ethiopian (29%) immigrants have at least a bachelor's degree. Finally, 16% of African immigrants have "a master's degree, medical degree, law degree or a doctorate".

Regarding employment, our research reveals a high percentage of African immigrants participating in the United States labor force. Of immigrants aged 16 years and above, 75% of Sub-Saharan African immigrants are in the civil labor force, while 57% of Northern immigrants are employed. Our research also reveals that regarding black migrants in the United States (31% of which are from African countries), 26% have higher household income compared to 19% of American-born black citizens. African migrants contribute more than $10.1 billion in federal taxes and $4.7 billion in state taxes; they have a spending power of $40.3 billion. These figures show the importance of earning a living for African immigrants.
Money transfer systemsWe found that many African immigrants to the United States help their families back home. The extended family is critical important to this population. They try to keep in touch with them by sending part of their earnings to the family they left behind, utilizing various money transfer systems. Remittances enable them to feel they are still part of their families, despite being far away from them. A Nigerian doctor said "one thing that is unique about Africans is that the extended family system is very, very important. If you make one thousand dollars this month, you try to send five hundred dollars back home." However, we were unable to find information about specific money transfer systems that are preferred by this subset of immigrants. 
RecreationA report in 2011, which was the most recent report available on this topic, reveals that most African immigrants prefer dance classes, walking groups, games, soccer league, and biking for recreation. They also like leisure activities, such as watching movies, visiting friends, socializing, having parties, and barbecuing.
Feelings on immigrationBlack immigrants (31% of which are African) are concerned with government policies on immigration. After President Trump's success in the past election, these issues became increasingly important to them. A Senegalese immigrant, Seydi Sarr, expressed her concerns in a conversation on Muslims being branded terrorists. She is reconsidering her continuous stay in the United States in light of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments in this country.
ConclusionTo wrap up, there were found to be 154,885 African immigrants living in New York City. Of this population, 61,903 reside in the Bronx, 36,086 reside in Brooklyn, 24,013 reside in Manhattan, 22,380 live in Queens, and 10,503 live on Staten Island. African migrants are concerned with government policies on immigration in light of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments in the United States, especially after President Trump's success in the last polls.

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Filipino Immigrants in NYC - Demographics and Psychographics

Demographic findings pertaining to Filipino immigrants in New York City include the identification of a concentrated population of 50,000 to 70,000 Filipino immigrants in the area of Woodside, Queens, which is about half of the Filipino population in New York City. Many Filipinos tend to work in service and healthcare related professions. Psychographic findings pertaining to New York City Filipinos include the importance of family in Filipino culture in influencing overseas workers to send money back home; a feeling of concern amongst Filipinos in the United States about the perceived strong immigration policies of the Trump Presidential administration; the importance of achieving financial security in order to address family needs; and that Filipinos enjoy practical leisure time, including socializing and promoting and sharing their culture with non-Filipino residents in New York City.

DEMOGRAPHICSThe borough of Queens is home to 56% of all Filipinos living in New York City. Specifically, about 50,000 to 70,000 persons of Filipino descent, consisting of Filipino immigrants and second-generation Filipino-American ("Phil-Am") decedents of parents born in the Philippines, reside in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. The commercial district of this area, featuring many small businesses and shops catering to Filipino customers, is sometimes referred to as "Little Manila" and "Pinoytown," and is defined as "Roosevelt Avenue from 61st Street to 70th Street [in Woodside]." One of the few branch locations in the United States of the ubiquitous Jollibee fast-food chain, known as the equivalent to the American "McDonald's" brand in the Philippines, is located in the heart of the "Little Manila" area, at 62-29 Roosevelt Avenue. The main artery for transportation connecting this heavily Filipino section of Queens to the rest of New York is the subway station for the "7 Train," located at the intersection of 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside.

The Little Manila area traces its roots to the 1970s. It was during this time period in history, shortly after the Hart–Celler Immigration and Nationality Act was passed by the United States Senate in 1965, that skilled workers from around the globe were first allowed to immigrate to the United States. It was then that many Filipino nurses, doctors, and healthcare industry workers were able to qualify for immigration status. According to an article published by a New York lifestyle website, it was a logical for Filipino immigrants to settle in Woodside, as it was near Elmhurst Hospital, then located at 79-01 Broadway in Queens, where many immigrant Filipino healthcare workers were able to find employment.

According to the Pew Research Center, a total of about 241,000 persons of Filipino descent live in the New York area. However, we note that the source of this data is the American Community Survey of the United States Census and that the region most closely related to New York City in that survey is the "New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA" area. Because the defined region in the Census data contains a significant number of individuals living outside of New York City, in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, we turned to the population estimate mentioned by the article previously cited in this research which describes an estimated "50,000 to 70,000" Filipinos living in Queens as 56% of all Filipinos living in New York City. By calculating 100% of the average 56% of these two estimates, or 60,000, we can triangulate an estimation that a total of 107,142 Filipinos live in New York City.

Lastly, it is well-established that many Filipinos work in service and healthcare-related professions. In the history of Filipino immigrants arriving in the United States, many have consistently been trained as nurses and other healthcare workers.
PSYCHOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONIn the Filipino culture, family and religion are the top priorities, in what is described by Filipino professor Anthony Ocampo as a cultural phenomenon similar to the values present in Latino immigrant populations. It is for reasons relating to these family priorities that overseas Filipino workers seek out money transfer services that will work best with relatives back home in the Philippines. 

The reasons that define work and career priorities reported by Filipinos living and working in the United States has consistently been the objective to achieve of financial stability, in order to provide for their family, both in the U.S. and overseas in the Philippines. Overseas foreign workers, or "OFW's," as they are called in Filipino culture, are often responsible for supporting their entire family unit back home in the Philippines, from the wages they earn in New York City.

Amid the constant motivation to work and support families in the New York Filipino community and culture, reports published in both the Filipino and American news media in recent years have called attention to the perceived strong immigration policies of the Trump Presidential administration in the United States. In an article published by the Filipino news media, a San Francisco based Filipino-American lawyer, Johnson Lazaro, described his Filipino clients as both "emotional and desperate" after Donald Trump won the U.S. Presidential Administration. According to Mr. Lazaro, his Filipino clients had urgent questions, such as "Should I leave the country now, before they come and get me? Should I go into hiding? What will happen to my children, or to my elderly parents?"

New York Filipinos are a very social people, who enjoy sharing their culture with non-Filipinos in the New York area. A traditional Filipino religious holiday, "Simbang Gabi," has been sponsored by top Filipino organizations and celebrated in December of almost every year in New York City for nearly thirty years. Filipino Restaurant Week is organized by the Philippine Consulate in New York, giving Filipinos the chance to share traditional dishes such as arroz caldo (chicken and fish porridge) and halo-halo (a dessert made of crushed ice).

CONCLUSIONWe researched demographic and psychographic information pertaining to the Filipino population living in the greater New York City Area, of which we estimate is about 107,142 persons, in total. Among our findings, we identified a concentrated population of Filipino immigrants and second generation "Phil-Am" Filipino residents living in the Woodside neighborhood of the New York borough of Queens, representing about 56% of all Filipinos residing in New York. We noted that there is a feeling of tension in the Filipino community throughout the United States about perceived heavy-handed immigration policies of the current U.S. Presidential administration. We find that many Filipinos work in service and healthcare-related professions. The purpose behind the Filipino work ethic is to establish financial stability to support their family, both in the U.S. and back home in the Philippines, through the most practical international money transfer services that service the Filipino population.

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Immigrant Events in NYC

We were able to compile a list of nine events happening in New York City in April 2018, which are focused on the immigrant community. The events consist of presentations, workshops, and lectures specifically aimed towards the immigrant community.
 FREE IMMIGRATION PROGRAM WORKSHOP The Free Immigration Program workshop takes place on April 25, 2018, from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. It is hosted at Pratt Manhattan, 144 West 14th Street. It is hosted by Pratt Institute.
This is an immigration workshop which gives people the tools to speak to their employers about getting an H-1B non-immigrant visa, change their status or obtain their green card.
Fiction and Personal Themes: Race and Immigration Fiction and Personal Themes: Race and Immigration takes place on April 21, 2018, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. It is hosted by the Lewis H. Latimer House Museum, and it takes place at Lewis Howard Latimer House Museum, 34-41 137th Street in Queens.
This is a class led by Min Jin Lee, who wrote novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko. The first half will consist of the author's thinking about the books which are about immigration, and the second half will consist of a workshop.  
History, Countries & Immigration — Narrate my story History, Countries & Immigration — Narrate my story takes place on April 21, 2018, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It is an event hosted by Marine Selenee and it takes place at RA MA Institute New York, 125 Stanton Street. 
This is a paid course and the fee seems to be around $200. It is focused on getting immigrants to know and understand the story of their countries in order to better understand themselves and their families. 
Rights while Traveling Rights while Traveling is an event hosted by NYU Office of Global Services. It takes place on April 9, 2018, from 6:30 PM to 8:00. The location is Furman Hall, Room 214, 245 Sullivan Street.
This is a presentation which is a part of the NYU Know Your Rights Project, which is a partnership between the Immigrant Defense Initiative and the Office of Global Services. The main goal is to educate New York citizens about their rights when faced with an encounter with law enforcement or governmental agencies.
The Constitution vs. Trumpism: Challenges to the Rule of Law in 2018 The Constitution vs. Trumpism: Challenges to the Rule of Law in 2018 is a free event hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice. It takes place on April 4, 2018, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The location is as follows:
NYU School of Law's Vanderbilt Hall
Greenberg Lounge
40 Washington Square South (at the corner of Macdougal)
This is a presentation and a discussion panel where university professors are going to discuss immigration, voting rights, freedom of religion and other similar subjects.
Incidental Racialization: Performative Assimilation in Law School Incidental Racialization: Performative Assimilation in Law School is hosted by Asian American / Asian Research Institute — CUNY. It is scheduled to happen at April 20, 2018, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The location of the event is Asian American / Asian Research Institute — CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Room 1000-
This event is a book reading and a presentation by Dr. Vivian Louie which will discuss Asian American and Latino students, and their fight against stereotypes connected to their race.
Rights while Protesting Rights while Protesting is an event hosted by NYU Office of Global Services. It takes place on April 3, 2018, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. The location of the event is Vanderbilt Hall, Room 218, 40 Washington Square South. The event is a presentation that is aiming to answer the following questions: "Can your free speech be restricted because of what you say? Wondering if you have a right to picket on public sidewalks? Have questions about where you can engage in free speech activity? Wondering what your rights are in these situations and what to do if your rights have been violated?" Its goal is to teach New Yorker immigrants about how to protect themselves in public spaces during protesting. 
RESIST, REFOCUS, REBUILD RESIST, REFOCUS, REBUILD is a lecture hosted by Pratt Institute — Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment and NYC. It takes place on April 6, 2018 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The location of the event is Pratt Institute, 144 West 14th Street, Room 213.
The lecture will focus on "how local actions can provide short-term resistance and long-term alternatives" and is especially aimed towards immigrants.
New Sanctuary Coalition ACCOMPANIMENT TRAINING New Sanctuary Coalition Accompaniment Training is hosted by Team NSC and sponsored by Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats and Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club. It takes place on April 19, 2018, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The location of the event is Seafarers International House, 123 East 15 Street.
This event is specifically designed to help those immigrants who have "already been identified by ICE for possible deportation and have to appear in Immigration Court or to check-in with ICE". 
CONCLUSIONEvents happening in New York City in April 2018, which are focused on the immigrant community are as follows: New Sanctuary Coalition Accompaniment Training, Resist Refocus Rebuild, Rights While Traveling, Rights While Protesting, Incidental Racialization: Performative Assimilation in Law School, The Constitution vs. Trumpism: Challenges to the Rule of Law in 2018, History, Countries & Immigration — Narrate my story, Fiction and Personal Themes: Race and Immigration, and The Free Immigration Program.