Polish Population in New York County, NY by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

Polish residents in New York County, NY number 54,415, with both incorporated cities - New York (180,873) and Manhattan borough (54,415) - reporting a presence. While the county-level estimate appears slightly lower than the combined city counts, this occasionally happens due to independent census sampling methods. With no presence reported outside these two cities, the Polish population is clearly concentrated within municipal boundaries. Below, we explore how this pattern of dual-city presence compares to demographic layouts across New York.

Top 5 cities with the largest Polish population in New York County

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  • 1
    New York
    Polish population in New York is 180,873
    2.12% of New York population is Polish
  • 2
    Manhattan borough
    Polish population in Manhattan borough is 54,415
    3.34% of Manhattan borough population is Polish

Overview of Polish population in New York County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows New York County contains 54,415 Polish residents (3.3% of 1.6 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 93rd percentile within New York for Polish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents New York County's Polish demographic representation of 3.3%, exceeding the national average of 2.6% while remaining below New York's elevated state average of 4.1%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents New York County with 54,415 Polish residents, representing 6.7% of New York's total Polish population of 806,476.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate New York County contains $dem_per_sqmi Polish Americans per square mile—more than one hundred forty times New York's average of 17.1 per square mile—placing the county as a demographic outlier with one of the most concentrated Polish communities documented in United States demographic research.
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New York County Cities by Polish Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show New York and Manhattan borough account for 180,873 and 54,415 Polish residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in New York County, NY.
cities in New York County, NY ranked by Polish population count
Rank by Polish Population
City
Polish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total New York County Polish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 New York 180,873 2.12% 100.00%
2 Manhattan borough 54,415 3.34% 100.00%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in New York County, NY by their Polish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Polish population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Polish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Polish alone, while others identify as Polish along with another race (such as Polish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Polish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Polish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Polish alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Polish .
  2. % of Total New York County Polish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Polish population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Polish populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Polish population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Polish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.