Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and T&T among New York's top 10 immigrant…

The Gist

New York City's foreign-born population — estimated at roughly 3.1 to 3.3 million residents from more than 150 countries and accounting for around 38 to 40% of the city's population — includes nationals from at least four Caribbean Caricom nations (Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago) that rank consistently among the 10 largest immigrant groups, according to American Community Survey data compiled by New York City officials and the Center for Migration Studies.

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What Happened

New York City is home to 3.3 million foreign-born residents from more than 150 countries — and Caribbean people are among the most significant contributors to that number. According to American Community Survey data compiled by New York City officials, Jamaica ranked third among all immigrant communities in the city, with 185,681 Jamaican-born residents, representing 5.6% of the total foreign-born population. Guyana ranked fifth with 140,340 residents (4.2%), Haiti seventh with 91,595 (2.8%), and Trinidad and Tobago ninth with 89,302 (2.7%).

Together, nationals from these four Caricom member states account for more than 506,000 New York City residents — a Caribbean presence that rivals the populations of several island nations combined.

The Dominican Republic remains the single largest immigrant community in the city, with 453,176 residents, cementing the broader Caribbean and Latin Caribbean footprint as dominant in the city's demographic landscape.

Beyond those four nations, the Caribbean community in New York extends further still — with Barbados (20,150), Grenada (17,595), St Vincent and the Grenadines (14,389), Dominica (8,665), St Lucia (8,436), and Antigua and Barbuda (6,342) all maintaining measurable presences in the city.

Collectively, the Caribbean-born population in New York numbers well into the hundreds of thousands, making it one of the most significant concentrations of Caribbean diaspora anywhere in the world — and a community whose ties to the region remain deep, enduring, and consequential.

• New York City has 3.3 million foreign-born residents from more than 150 countries, comprising nearly 40% of the city's population • Jamaica ranked 3rd among NYC immigrant communities with 185,681 residents (5.6%) • Guyana ranked 5th with 140,340 residents (4.2%) • Haiti ranked 7th with 91,595 residents (2.8%) • Trinidad and Tobago ranked 9th with 89,302 residents (2.7%) • The four Caricom nations combined account for more than 506,000 NYC residents • The Dominican Republic is the largest single immigrant community with 453,176 residents • Smaller Caribbean nations including Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent, Dominica, St Lucia, and Antigua also have measurable populations in New York City

📊 Caribbean Immigrant Communities in New York City By The Numbers

The Impact

The sustained presence of Caribbean nationals among New York City's largest immigrant communities carries profound economic, cultural, and political weight — for the city and for the islands they left behind. According to CMS data, immigrants overall account for 44% of New York City's labour force, contributing disproportionately to the city's economy relative to their 38% population share.

Caribbean immigrants are especially concentrated in health care, transportation, and service occupations that undergird daily life in the city.

For the Caribbean region itself, remittances sent via formal channels to Caribbean countries reached approximately US$20 billion in 2024 — a 158% increase since 2010, according to World Bank estimates.

Remittances accounted for 19% of Haiti's GDP and 18% of Jamaica's GDP in 2024, underscoring the life-sustaining role of the New York diaspora for home economies.

"Remittances sent via formal channels accounted for 19% of Haiti's GDP and 18% of Jamaica's GDP in 2024 — and migrants worldwide sent approximately $US20 billion in remittances to Caribbean countries that year, a 158 percent increase since 2010."
— World Bank estimates, as reported by the Migration Policy Institute

Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti & T&T in New York City — By The Numbers

Perspectives

Economic asset: City officials and researchers emphasise that immigrants — including Caribbean nationals — contribute disproportionately to New York's economy. Immigrants make up 44% of the city's labour force despite being 38% of the population, and they earn approximately US$100 billion a year, nearly one-third of all earned income in New York City, according to NYC data.

Community vulnerability: CMS researchers caution that immigrant communities — including Caribbean-origin households — face significant hardships. One in nine New Yorkers lives in a mixed-status household, undocumented immigrants earn a median of just US$20 per hour, and 36% of undocumented residents live in overcrowded housing, highlighting systemic inequities that policy must address.

Diaspora development role: Regional migration analysts argue the Caribbean diaspora in cities like New York is a vital development engine for home islands. Remittances, knowledge transfer, and political advocacy from diaspora communities support Caribbean economies and societies — a role the Caribbean Migration Consultations framework, launched in 2016, seeks to strengthen through regional cooperation.

C360 View

The data is unambiguous: Caribbean people built New York City, and they continue to hold it together. From the home health aides keeping elderly New Yorkers safe, to the taxi drivers navigating gridlocked streets, to the construction labourers raising its skylines, Caribbean-born workers are indispensable. Yet the story these statistics tell is not simply one of service — it is one of belonging, sacrifice, and earned stake in a city that has not always returned the favour.

New York City has long been the beating heart of the Caribbean diaspora in North America — and the numbers confirm it. Of the city's 3.3 million foreign-born residents, drawn from more than 150 countries, nationals from just four Caricom member states — Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago — account for more than 506,000 residents, a Caribbean presence that rivals the total populations of several island nations.

And then there are more than 400,000 people from the Dominican Republic and more than 600,000 from Puerto Rico.

The decline in West Indian immigrant numbers since 2010 should not be misread as retreat. Much of it reflects increasing naturalisation — Caribbean immigrants becoming American citizens at rates above the national average, translating diaspora presence into political power. That shift matters enormously, both for how New York governs itself and for how Caribbean home islands receive advocacy at the highest levels of U.S. policy.

These communities deserve recognition not just as data points in a demographic briefing, but as architects of one of the world's great cities. Any US immigration policy that destabilises these communities — from TPS rollbacks to CHNV terminations — carries consequences that stretch far beyond New York, landing hard on the island economies that depend on diaspora remittances for survival.

The research is not just a matter of the contribution that Caribbean people including those from Caricom states and the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico make to the New York economy, but it also points to the economies of the countries that they come from - where so many feel the need to leave their shores for greener grass. Is it a matter of wanting to leave a small geographical space, or is it simply that many of these Caribbean countries simply do not offer the kind of opportunity that is offered by the big apple - even at US$20 per hour?