New York (state)

New York, also called New York state, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by the New England states to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. New York is the fourth-most populous state in the United States, with nearly 20 million residents, and the 27th-largest state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2). New York has a varied geography. The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate, encompasses New York City, the most populous city in the United States; Long Island, with approximately 40% of the state's population, the nation's most populous island; and the cities, suburbs, and wealthy enclaves of the lower Hudson Valley. These areas are the center of the expansive New York metropolitan area and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects the more mountainous regions of Upstate and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany. Western New York, home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is prominently featured by the Finger Lakes, a popular tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, representing some of the northernmost reaches of Appalachia. New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and the Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York. During the American Revolutionary War, a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and the state ratified the then new United States Constitution in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal, gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the "Empire State". Although deindustrialization eroded a portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance, and environmental sustainability.

The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls, and Grand Central Terminal. New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities, including Ivy League members Columbia University and Cornell University, and the expansive State University of New York, which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City is home to the headquarters of the United Nations, and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural, financial, and media epicenter, and the capital of the world.

Infobox

Country

United States

Before statehood

Province of New York

Admitted to the Union

July 26, 1788 (11th)

Capital

Albany

Largest city

New York

Largest county or equivalent

Kings (Brooklyn)

Largest metro and urban areas

New York metropolitan area

• Governor

Kathy Hochul (D)

• Lieutenant Governor

Antonio Delgado (D)

Legislature

New York State Legislature

• Upper house

State Senate

• Lower house

State Assembly

Judiciary

New York Court of Appeals

U.S. senators

mw- Chuck Schumer (D) Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

U.S. House delegation

19 Democrats 7 Republicans (list)

• Total

19,867,248

• Land

47,126 sq mi (122,057 km2)

• Water

7,430 sq mi (19,240 km2) 13.6%

• Rank

8th

• Length

330 mi (530 km)

• Width

283 mi (455 km)

Elevation

980 ft (300 m)

Highest elevation (Mount Marcy[a])

5,344 ft (1,629 m)

Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[a])

0 ft (0 m)

• Density

428.66/sq mi (165.51/km2)

• Median household income

$82,100 (2023)

• Income rank

14th

Demonym

New Yorker

• Spoken language

Language spoken at home: English: 69% Spanish: 15% Chinese: 3% Russian: 1% Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic languages: 1% Haitian: 0.9% Bengali: 0.9% French (incl. Cajun): 0.7% Arabic: 0.7% Italian 0.6% Igbo, Yoruba, Twi, or other languages of Western Africa: 0.5% Korean: 0.5% Other Indo-European languages: 0.5% Urdu: 0.4% Tagalog (incl. Filipino): 0.4% Polish: 0.4% Hindi: 0.4%

Time zone

UTC– 05:00 (EST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC– 04:00 (EDT)

USPS abbreviation

ISO 3166 code

US-NY

Traditional abbreviation

N.Y.

Latitude

40° 30′ N to 45° 1′ N

Longitude

71° 51′ W to 79° 46′ W

Website

ny.gov

Tables

Racial and ethnic composition as of the 2020 census · Demographics › Race and ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)

Race and ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)

Alone

52.5%

Total

55.3%

Hispanic or Latino

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino

Alone

—

Total

19.5%

African American (non-Hispanic)

Race and ethnicity

African American (non-Hispanic)

Alone

13.7%

Total

15.1%

Asian

Race and ethnicity

Asian

Alone

9.5%

Total

10.5%

Native American

Race and ethnicity

Native American

Alone

0.3%

Total

1.1%

Pacific Islander

Race and ethnicity

Pacific Islander

Alone

0.03%

Total

0.1%

Other

Race and ethnicity

Other

Alone

1.0%

Total

2.2%

Race and ethnicity	Alone	Total
White (non-Hispanic)	52.5%	55.3%
Hispanic or Latino	—	19.5%
African American (non-Hispanic)	13.7%	15.1%
Asian	9.5%	10.5%
Native American	0.3%	1.1%
Pacific Islander	0.03%	0.1%
Other	1.0%	2.2%

· Demographics › Race and ethnicity

Racial composition 1950 1970 1990 2010 2020 Largest ancestry by county (2017) White 93 .mw- American English French/French Canadian German Irish Italian Caribbean Black orAfrican American 6.2% 11.9% 15.9% 15.9% 14.8% American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.6% 0.7% Asian 0.2% 0.7% 3.9% 7.3% 9.6% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander – – – – 0.1% Other race – 0.4% 5.5% 7.4% 10.9% Two or more races – – – 3.0% 8.7% Hispanic or Latino − − 12.3% 17.6% 19.5%

Racial composition	1950	1970	1990	2010	2020	Largest ancestry by county (2017)
White	93.5%	86.8%	74.4%	65.7%	55.2%	mw- .mw- American English French/French Canadian German Irish Italian Caribbean
Black orAfrican American	6.2%	11.9%	15.9%	15.9%	14.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%	0.6%	0.7%
Asian	0.2%	0.7%	3.9%	7.3%	9.6%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander	–	–	–	–	0.1%
Other race	–	0.4%	5.5%	7.4%	10.9%
Two or more races	–	–	–	3.0%	8.7%
Hispanic or Latino	−	−	12.3%	17.6%	19.5%

White

Racial composition

White

1950

93.5%

1970

86.8%

1990

74.4%

2010

65.7%

2020

55.2%

Col 7

Largest ancestry by county (2017)

mw- .mw- .mw- American English French/French Canadian German Irish Italian Caribbean

Black orAfrican American

Racial composition

Black orAfrican American

1950

6.2%

1970

11.9%

1990

15.9%

2010

15.9%

2020

14.8%

American Indian and Alaska Native

Racial composition

American Indian and Alaska Native

1950

0.1%

1970

0.2%

1990

0.3%

2010

0.6%

2020

0.7%

Asian

Racial composition

Asian

1950

0.2%

1970

0.7%

1990

3.9%

2010

7.3%

2020

9.6%

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander

Racial composition

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander

1950

–

1970

–

1990

–

2010

–

2020

0.1%

Other race

Racial composition

Other race

1950

–

1970

0.4%

1990

5.5%

2010

7.4%

2020

10.9%

Two or more races

Racial composition

Two or more races

1950

–

1970

–

1990

–

2010

3.0%

2020

8.7%

Hispanic or Latino

Racial composition

Hispanic or Latino

1950

−

1970

−

1990

12.3%

2010

17.6%

2020

19.5%

Racial composition	1950	1970	1990	2010	2020	Largest ancestry by county (2017)
White	93.5%	86.8%	74.4%	65.7%	55.2%		mw- .mw- American English French/French Canadian German Irish Italian Caribbean
Black orAfrican American	6.2%	11.9%	15.9%	15.9%	14.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%	0.6%	0.7%
Asian	0.2%	0.7%	3.9%	7.3%	9.6%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander	–	–	–	–	0.1%
Other race	–	0.4%	5.5%	7.4%	10.9%
Two or more races	–	–	–	3.0%	8.7%
Hispanic or Latino	−	−	12.3%	17.6%	19.5%

Most common non-English languages (2010)[187] · Demographics › Languages

Spanish

Language

Spanish

Population

14.44%

Chinese (incl. Cantonese and Mandarin)

Language

Chinese (incl. Cantonese and Mandarin)

Population

2.61%

Russian

Language

Russian

Population

1.20%

Italian

Language

Italian

Population

1.18%

French Creole

Language

French Creole

Population

0.71%

French

Language

French

Population

0.73%

Yiddish

Language

Yiddish

Population

0.59%

Korean

Language

Korean

Population

0.62%

Polish

Language

Polish

Population

0.48%

Kannada

Language

Kannada

Population

0.46%

Bengali

Language

Bengali

Population

0.40%

Language	Population
Spanish	14.44%
Chinese (incl. Cantonese and Mandarin)	2.61%
Russian	1.20%
Italian	1.18%
French Creole	0.71%
French	0.73%
Yiddish	0.59%
Korean	0.62%
Polish	0.48%
Kannada	0.46%
Bengali	0.40%

· Sports

Club