Race & Ethnicity

SUNSET PARK IS A CULTURALLY rich and diverse, predominantly immigrant neighborhood. Home primarily to Asian and Hispanic populations, together they make up 82% of the population of Sunset Park, while White populations make up 14% in comparison.

While the Hispanic community is still the largest ethnic demographic group within Sunset Park, representing 41% of the total population, the Asian community follows closely behind with 40%, further confirming the trend of the population increase of the Asian community. As shown before, Hispanic populations have decreased in the last ten years, while the Asian population keeps growing at a fast rate. Within these ethnic populations, the regions where immigrants are coming from are mainly Mexico and China.

Race & Ethnicity

Hispanic Subgroups

Asian Subgroups

When observing the spatial distribution of racial and ethnic populations in the neighborhoods, it is clear that these have settled in very distinct patterns. The Hispanic population has settled mainly along the western area of the neighborhood and along 5th avenue, while the Asian population is concentrated in the southeastern part and along 8th avenue.

These are well known cultural and commercial corridors among the residents, which they gravitate towards for comfort and belonging. Many residents state that they feel at home in Sunset Park because they have access to food and products from their home country, as well as specific services catered to their needs (legal aid in their language, tax counseling, etc). In comparison, the White population is concentrated in the northern part of the neighborhood and closer to Windsor Terrace, an area that contains more wealth and further exhibits signs of gentrification spreading from the north.

Population Density by Race

“We always came here to 5th ave. to do some shopping, to do everything. [...] We came to the park, to the pool, to everything. So it was like a place where we felt close, where there was space, where there were resources, where there was also more food, who spoke Spanish.”

Javier Salamanca

ALTHOUGH HALF OF SUNSET PARK’S population is foreign born (49%), there has been a decrease of 12% in the total population of foreign born residents between 2010 and 2020. This trend is not only in Sunset Park but across the borough. The opposite is true at the city level; New York City has seen an increase in its foreign born population, the majority coming from Asia, which tracks with the overall trend of a growing Asian population.

With the number of foreign born residents trending down, the number of naturalized citizens has increased from 2010 and 2020. Sunset Park’s naturalized citizen population has increased by 11% between 2010 and 2020, a trend that could be explained through gentrification and the legacy of Sunset Park as an immigrant enclave, as second and third generations are born from foreign born residents, keeping Sunset Park an immigrant community.

The maps below detail the concentration of foreign born residents in the southeastern area of Sunset Park, and the majority of native born residents concentrated in the northwestern area of Sunset Park. This trend reflects how gentrification is moving south, as one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn is north of Sunset Park.

Foreign Born Population

Native Born Population

THE MAJORITY OF SUNSET PARK residents speak a language other than English (see graph below). Although this reflects and highlights the diversity of Sunset Park, it also poses difficulties for residents, such as accessing public resources, jobs, education and community engagement.

According to the2016-2020 American Community Survey, less than half the population of Sunset Park speaks English ‘well’ , and 40% of the residents speak Spanish at home, while 30% speak Chinese. This is much higher than the borough and city average, where only 22% speak English “poorly”, and Spanish and Chinese are spoken at home at a much lower rates.

54.1% of people in the area speak English “poorly“

Languages spoken at home

6.3 % other

29.9 % chinese

23.2 % english

40.6 % spanish