Sex ratio of immigrants in New York City

Did you know that New York City is home to more foreign-born females than males? In 2011, there were 89 males for every 100 females among the city’s foreign-born population. Nothing too surprising, you may think. NYC’s native-born population is also characterized by a lesser number of males than females, as a result, primarily, of males having a higher mortality.

But there are other, more significant reasons to the foreign-born’s sex ratio that become apparent when looking at differences between immigrant groups. Foreign-born from non-Hispanic Caribbean countries have among the lowest sex ratios (see graph below). For these groups as well as for Filipinos, Koreans, Dominicans, and Columbians, females are often in the vanguard of immigration, arriving in the US first, later followed by males. Filipino immigrants are a case in point: from the 1990s many Filipino women came to the US first, taking advantage of a special provision in the US immigration law facilitating the entry of nurses.

On the other hand, Mexicans, South Asian groups, and a couple of other nationalities stand out for their extremely high sex ratios – 171 males for every 100 females among Mexicans! For these groups, young males seeking work generally immigrate first, and are joined at a later stage by their spouses and children.

Therefore, the sex ratio of the foreign-born in New York City largely depends on each group’s specific immigration history.

Data: The Newest New Yorkers (NYC Department of City Planning, 2013)