Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Harlem's Shifting Population

September 02, 2008 | by Andy A Beveridge

This is the text version of the chart included in An Affluent, White Harlem?

Townhouses in Harlem sell for millions of dollars and Columbia University continues to expand there, as the city foresees even greater changes again. Andrew Beveridge examines what it could mean for the future of America's most famous black community.

Population and Racial Composition Harlem and New York City, 1910 to 2006
  Central Harlem Greater Harlem Rest of NYC

* Numbers do not add up to 100 percent. The remaining Harlem residents are HIspanics, who were not listed separately until 1980, and individuals who identified themselves as members of other racial groups.

Sources: 1910 to 1940, Census Tract Data from National Historical Geographical Information System, Compiled by Andrew A. Beveridge and Co-workers; 1950, Ellen M. Bogue File, as edited by Andrew A. Beveridge and co-workers; 1960 through 2000, Tabulated Census Data from National Historical Geographic Information System; 2006 Data from American Community Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Boundary Files from National Historical Geographic Information System 1910 to 2000, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006. All data and boundary files available from Minnesota Population Center. Since results are tabulated from the sources indicated, they may not necessarily match Census published figures for population and race.
1910
BLACK 9.89% 4.28% 1.73%
WHITE 90.01% 95.64% 98.12%
Other 0.10% 0.08% 0.15%
total population 181,949 593,598 3,191,961.84
1920
BLACK 32.43% 12.28% 1.46%
WHITE 67.47% 87.60% 98.39%
Other 0.15% 0.14% 0.15%
total population 216,026 652,529 4,767,727
1930
BLACK 70.18% 34.82% 1.99%
WHITE 29.43% 64.78% 97.80%
Other 0.39% 0.40% 0.21%
total population 209,663.38 580,277.29 6,168,983.97
1940
BLACK 89.31% 48.32% 2.65%
WHITE 10.48% 51.38% 97.10%
Other 0.21% 0.31% 0.25%
total population 221,974.31 576,845.91 6,677,186.53
1950
BLACK 98.07% 57.52% 5.64%
WHITE 1.76% 41.89% 94.03%
Other 0.17% 0.60% 0.33%
total population 237,467.79 593,246.28 7,078,649.58
1960
BLACK 96.71% 58.53% 10.71%
WHITE 2.94% 40.55% 88.62%
Other 0.35% 0.92% 0.67%
total population 163,632.28 467,633.59 6,829,199.34
1970
BLACK 95.42% 63.53% 18.48%
WHITE 4.28% 34.44% 79.82%
Other 0.29% 2.02% 1.70%
total population 157,178.07 430,567.1 7,083,454.85
1980
BLACK 94.17% 58.76% 22.20%
Hispanic 4.32% 28.46% 19.45%
WHITE 0.62% 10.29% 53.98%
Other 0.89% 2.49% 4.37%
total population 108,236 339,490 6,732,149
1990
BLACK 87.55% 52.37% 23.93%
Hispanic 10.14% 33.94% 23.90%
WHITE 1.50% 10.85% 44.74%
Other 0.80% 2.85% 7.43%
total population 101,026 334,076 6,988,199
2000
BLACK 77.49% 46.03% 23.67%
Hispanic 16.82% 38.02% 26.47%
WHITE 2.07% 10.45% 36.11%
Other 3.62% 5.50% 13.75%
total population 109,091 354,057 7,654,221
2006
BLACK 69.27% 40.54% 23.40%
Hispanic 18.58% 38.24% 27.22%
WHITE 6.55% 14.80% 36.06%
Other 5.60% 6.42% 13.33%
total population 118,111 374,854 7,838,724

 



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