The Nation’s First Black Congresswoman Was a Brooklynite
Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Shirley Chisholm was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968.
Brooklyn Facts & Firsts
Ours is the largest borough in New York City by both population and geographic area
Over 2.7M
People live in Brooklyn, more than 30% of NYC’s population
Only 7.6%
Of charitable revenue citywide reaches Brooklyn
Brooklyn Org is your partner and platform for local philanthropy, that gives everyone a part to play in creating change from the ground up.
An old legend claims that as many as one in seven Americans can trace their roots through Brooklyn; and while that may not be a provable fact, we believe that Brooklyn has something to offer everyone, whether or not you call the borough home.
Explore below for Brooklyn stats, facts, and firsts that both impress and implore us all to do more for the borough and communities we love.
Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn: Our Campaign To Care For Our Neighbors
Explore Who Makes Up Brooklyn
The Borough’s Population
Brooklyn is incredibly diverse. There is power in knowing who we are as a community, and that we are all stronger together when Brooklyn backs Brooklyn.
- 35.9% are immigrants
- 16.2% are older adults (age 65+)
- 6.1% are children under the age of 5
- 1 in 5 are under the age of 18
- 19% are living under the poverty line
- 11.8% of the population lives with a disability
- 71.3% of Brooklyn households are renter-occupied
- 28.7% are home-owners
Life In Brooklyn: Survey Insights
Our People’s Pulse survey, commissioned by Brooklyn Org in partnership with fellow local foundations and the 5BORO Institute in early 2025, is a first-of-its-kind survey to amplify the voices of everyday New Yorkers in civic conversation. Our polling provides insights into life across our borough and city.
- 49% of Brooklynites (and 48% of New Yorkers) say they have considered leaving NYC, citing affordability as a top reason
- 45% of Brooklyn residents name housing costs as as their top economic challenge
- 61% of New Yorkers say it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet basic needs such as housing, food, healthcare, and education
- 84% of New Yorkers polled believe the city is experiencing a serious mental health crisis
- 75% of Brooklynites believe NYC government should support small, local organizations focused on addressing social, economic and housing issues
- Only 48% of Brooklyn respondents believe their vote makes a difference in city elections
- 50% of Brooklynites rated their neighborhood as an excellent or good place to live
Immigration
At A Glance
From our decades-long neighbors to the newest New Yorkers, immigrants enrich communities across Brooklyn
- 1 in 3 Brooklyn residents is an immigrant
- 22% of Brooklyn immigrants live below the poverty line
- 1 in 4 undocumented New Yorkers lives in Brooklyn
- 44% of Brooklynites over the age of 5 speak more than one language at home
Environmental Justice
At A Glance
- 50% Of Brooklyn neighborhoods are considered ‘high risk’ for residents dying from extreme heat incidents
- 56% Of residents in or directly around NYC’s floodplain identify as non-white
- Brooklyn is #2 in most public green infrastructure in NYC (counting planned for construction or already built)
Families
At A Glance
- 2 in 7 reported incidents of domestic violence occur in Brooklyn, the most across NYC
- 1 in 4 children in New York City's foster care system live in Brooklyn
- 21% of families with children under 18 live below the poverty line
- 7% of grandparents who live with their grandchildren are their primary caretakers
Youth
At A Glance
- 29.4% of Brooklyn’s population is under the age of 25
- 1/3 of NYC’s most segregated schools are in Brooklyn
- 16.2% of Brooklyn's population have attained less than a high school diploma
- The high school graduation rate in Brooklyn’s most segregated school district is 57%
Older Adults
At A Glance
- 1 in 7 Brooklynites is over the age of 65 – 16.2% of the borough
- 58% of older Brooklynites are immigrants
- Brooklyn is home to the second largest population of older adults across the city and state
- 27% of NYC food bank visitors are older adults
Civil Rights
At A Glance
- NYC is the first city in the nation to incorporate racial justice into their charter
- 208 documented hate crime incidents in 2022 – 2nd highest across the five boroughs
- 90% of people arrested during NYPD traffic stops (Jan. 2022 - June 2023) were Black or Latinx
Justice Reform
At A Glance
- Black Brooklynites are convicted of felonies and misdemeanors at 7.5x the rate of white residents in New York
- 68.3% of K-12 students in NYC who were placed in secure detention in the 2021-22 school year were Black
- In Brooklyn, Black people were admitted to jail 11.6 times more than white people in 2021
Civic Engagement
At A Glance
- 8% - Voter turnout of people aged 18-29 across NYC in the last primary election
- 16 City Council Members represent Brooklyn, more than any borough
- 38.7% of eligible Brooklyn voters cast ballots in the 2022 general election
Housing
At A Glance
- 103K Brooklyn residents live in public housing – more than any other borough
- Brooklyn has the highest rates of small home foreclosures citywide, with 8 community districts ranking in the top 10
- 51% of Brooklyn tenants are rent burdened, with over 30% of their income going to rent
- 131 homeless shelters are located in Brooklyn – the most of any borough across NYC
Health & Well-Being
At A Glance
- 11.8% of Brooklynites have a disability
- 2nd highest number of drug overdose deaths in NYC occurred in Brooklyn
- 4 years - gap in life expectancy between Black New Yorkers and the citywide average
Jobs & Economic Opportunity
At A Glance
- Brooklyn’s unemployment rate is 3.8%
- 14.9% Brooklynites over 25 doesn’t have their High School diploma
- Brooklyn’s poverty rate is 19.8%
Arts & Culture
At A Glance
- New York is the arts capital of the United States - home to 26% of the nation's arts institutions
- 600+ cultural groups and businesses call Brooklyn home
- 26% of Brooklyn’s professional artists are immigrants
Brooklyn Firsts
Brooklyn had the 2nd-largest free Black community in pre-Civil War America
Weeksville — located in the present-day neighborhoods of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant — was an independent free Black community established by James Weeks in 1838.
New York State’s First Black Woman Physician was a Brooklynite
Born in Weeksville, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney-Steward became the first Black woman to ever earn a medical degree in New York State — and the third in the entire nation — when she graduated in 1870.
Brooklyn Has the Longest-Standing Public Library System in All of New York City
Home to 59 libraries, The Brooklyn Public Library system was founded in 1892, before The New York Public Library (1895) and The Queens Public Library (1896).
Brooklyn is Home to the First Children’s Museum in the United States
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum was established in 1899.
Brooklyn has the Oldest Performing Arts Center in the Nation
The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) was founded in 1861.
Brooklyn Claims New York City’s First Designated Historic District
The Brooklyn Heights neighborhood was landmarked by the City in 1965.
Brooklyn Is Home To NYC's First Street Grid
The first street grid in New York City was laid out in Gravesend, Brooklyn in 1645—over a century before street grids came to Manhattan.
Brooklyn’s Inventions Have Had a Global Impact
Credit Cards, Air Conditioners, Teddy Bears, and Roller Coasters are just a few of the notable inventions to come out of the borough and spread worldwide.
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