Nov. 16, 2023 By Ethan Marshall
The Department of City Planning announced that updates have been made to the Population FactFinder and Population MapViewer tools on its website to provide new demographic information and features on New York City’s community. These updates include information from the Census Bureau’s 2020 “Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics” file.
“The latest additions to Population FactFinder and MapViewer are the next step in our ongoing work to make important demographic information about New York City accessible and transparent to all,” Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick said. “Our cutting-edge online tools make it easy to visualize complicated demographic data across New York’s diverse neighborhoods and communities.”
Some of the notable new information from the Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics file includes detailed age, household composition, housing tenure and vacancy rates. The data for these categories are viewable for different geographies, including blocks, Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (neighborhoods), Community Districts and the latest City Council Districts. Illuminating charts are available with the data, summarizing selected characteristics, like age distributions and the percent rental units.
A screenshot of Population MapViewer showing population density by Neighborhood Tabulation Area in both map and ordinal ranking. Photo courtesy of the Department of City Planning
Population FactFinder shows changes to areas since 2010. Additionally, it continues to incorporate a rich array of the latest socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey. Key characteristics from the 2020 survey are available in Population MapViewer as well. The Population MapViewer allows the public to explore the landscape of characteristics across New York City neighborhoods in maps and ranked charts. Users can explore changes across time, examine individual neighborhoods and compare them to other neighborhoods and the city overall.
The Department of City Planning plans for New York City’s strategic growth and development through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s ten-year Capital Strategy. The organization promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs to help create a more equitable New York City.
The Department of City Planning supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. Additionally, it assists government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.