In the New York metropolitan area, Filipinos constitute one of the largest diasporas in the Western Hemisphere. By 2014 Census estimates, the New York City-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area was home to 262,375 Filipino Americans, 221,612 (84.5%) of them uniracial Filipinos.

History

New York City has a shorter settlement history compared to historically more common locations for Filipinos to immigrate to, such as the West Coast.

Early demographics While larger populations of Filipinos immigrated to New York City after 1965, Filipinos began arriving in New York in the early 1900s. Many came to study as pensionados (or sponsored students) in universities like Columbia University and New York University. Like other immigrants at the time, these Filipinos entered through Ellis Island; Manuel Quezon and Carlos Romulo are among those who arrived in this way. In 1911, some Filipinos worked at the Dreamland Amusement Park in Coney Island, simulating what life was like in the Philippines. Most other Filipinos in New York at this time were seamen who docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yards. A Filipino restaurant called Manila Restaurant opened in the late 1920s and was located at 47 Sand Street in Brooklyn.

In 1927, one of the first Filipino civic organizations in New York City, the Filipino Women's Club, was founded. In 1960, there were only 2,744 Filipino Americans in New York City. In 1970, there were 14,279 Filipinos in New York State, 52.4% of whom were college graduates. While Filipinos on the West Coast enjoyed relative proximity to their homeland which was accessible by marine and air, those who settled in the New York City metropolitan area were at a disadvantage. In the 1990s, Philippine Airlines, which had flown into Newark Liberty International Airport, discontinued this service due to financial difficulties. However, the Filipino American community ultimately overcame this obstacle, with many members working in nursing and healthcareFrom Philippines, With Scrubs; How One Ethnic Group Came to Dominate the Nursing Field, The New York Times, November 24, 2003 before branching out to other professional fields.

In the East Village and the Lower East Side, Manhattan, there was significant Filipino migration in the late 1980s due to mass recruitment of Filipino medical professionals to area hospitals, notably New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the former Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center. Migration was spurred by the hospitals' offer of subsidized housing to employees, in the midst of ongoing rent strikes in the neighborhood. The burgeoning Little Manila centered on 1st Avenue and 14th Street, around which there were, at the peak, a number of grocery and video-rental stores and Filipino restaurants within a few blocks of one another. Filipino American community relations were strengthened by local Roman Catholic churches in the East Village and Gramercy Park areas. As rents increased, and properties were taken over by New York University, the number of Filipinos and Filipino businesses in the East Village's Little Manila waned. Elvie's Turo-Turo, the longest standing Filipino business in the area, closed in late 2009 after almost 20 years of operation. New Filipino businesses continue to sprout up.Bar goes mainstream Manhattan , PhilippineNews.com retrieved on February 26, 2010

Modern demographics

In the 1970s and 1980s, Filipinos in the New Jersey and New York metropolitan region had a higher socioeconomic status than Filipinos elsewhere, as more than half of Filipino immigrants to the metropolitan area were healthcare professionals or other highly trained professionals, in contrast to established working-class Filipino American populations elsewhere. In 1990, there were 43,229 Filipinos in New York City, with the number increasing to around 50,000 in 2000. The borough of Queens is home to the largest concentration of Filipinos within New York City, with about 38,000 Filipinos per the 2010 Census. In 2011, New York City was home to an estimated 82,313 Filipinos, representing a 7.7% increase from the estimated 77,191 in 2008, with 56%, or about 46,000, living in Queens. The Filipino median household income in New York City was $81,929 in 2013, and 68% held a bachelor's degree or higher. Filipinos in New York City were more educated than the total population and Non-Hispanic Whites, but lower income then Non-Hispanic Whites, this is seen as they had a per Capita Income of $56,873 which was significantly lower than $81,361 for the White population. Both Filipino men and women had higher earnings than the total population but significantly lower earnings than Whites. In 2023, Filipinos in New Jersey had lower earnings than South and East Asian groups and well as Non-Hispanic Whites. It should also be noted that in New York City, Filipinos had lower earnings than Non-Hispanic Whites.

In 2008, the New York metropolitan area was home to 215,000 Filipinos. By the 2010 Census, within the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA, there were 217,349 Filipino Americans, with an additional 15,631 in the greater New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA. As of 2011, over 150,000 Filipino-born immigrants resided in the New York City metropolitan region.

In 2013, 4,098 Filipinos legally immigrated to the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA core based statistical area; in 2012, this number was 4,879; 4,177 in 2011; 4,047 in 2010, 4,400 in 2009, and 5,985 in 2005. These numerical values do not include the remainder of the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. Philippine Airlines has resumed service to the New York City region since March 2015, with direct, one-seat service to Manila, this time utilizing JFK International Airport as its gateway. In April 2018, Philippine Airlines launched non-stop flight service between JFK international Airport and Manila, and has operated this important flight connection between Manila and New York continuously since then, even through the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

List of Little Manilas Little Manilas have emerged in the New York City metropolitan area, located in Woodside, Queens; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Bergenfield, New Jersey; in addition to smaller Filipino American subenclaves developing throughout the metropolitan region.

Woodside, Queens

Woodside, Queens, known as Filipinotown, is commonly known for its concentration of Filipinos.

Filipino cafés and restaurants dominate the area, as well as several freight delivery and remittance centers scattered throughout the neighborhood. Other Filipino-owned businesses including professional services (medical, dental, optical), driving schools, beauty salons, immigration services, and Filipino video rental establishments are present in the community.

Woodside has many types of transportation used on a daily basis. The IRT Flushing Line (), known colloquially as the Orient Express, the 69th Street station serves as the gateway to Queens' largest Little Manila, along with other public transportation such as the Long Island Railroad and buses. The coverage of Little Manila is along Roosevelt Avenue, between 58th and 74th Streets. Elsewhere in Queens, Filipinos are also concentrated in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. There are also smaller Filipino communities in Jamaica, Queens and parts of Brooklyn. The Benigno Aquino Triangle is located on Hillside Avenue in Hollis, Queens to commemorate the slain Filipino political leader and to recognize the large Filipino American population in the area.

In February 2008, the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center opened its doors in Woodside, a project spearheaded by the Philippine Forum. The Philippine Forum also hosts the annual Bayanihan Cultural Festival at the Hart Playground in September to commemorate Filipino American History Month.

On June 12, 2022, a sign-unveiling ceremony and celebration were held at the intersection of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue to commemorate the Filipino community’s growing presence and contributions in Queens. Concomitantly, there is also a Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City, Philippines. The corner in Queens was co-named "Little Manila Avenue”.

Manhattan

The Philippine Consulate of New York has a multipurpose role – aside from its governmental duties and functions, it also caters to many events of the Filipino American community and even has a school called Paaralan sa Konsulado (School at the consulate), which teaches newer-generation Filipino Americans about their culture and language. The consulate is known as the Philippine Center. The Philippine Center's large edifice is situated on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and is open to the public on business days and closed on Philippine and American holidays. The building itself is considered as the largest foreign consulate on the strip of the avenue. The Archdiocese of New York designated a chapel named after the first Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila for the Filipino Apostolate. Officially designated as the "Church of Filipinos," the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Lower Manhattan is only the third in the world and the first in the United States dedicated as such.

Eastern Long Island Long Island has seen a recent growth of Filipino Americans, following the overall eastward expansion of Asians from Queens into Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Northern and Central New Jersey

Northern and Central New Jersey are home to significant overseas Filipino populations, numbering more than 100,000 statewide, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. While Filipinos can be found across the state, the commercial districts catering to the Filipino community are found mostly in the state's urban areas. State and local governments in the Garden State have a significant number of employees of Filipino background, and they play a vital role in the state's affairs, issues, commerce, and health care. Filipino enclaves exist in Jersey City, Bergenfield, Paterson, Passaic, Union City, Elizabeth, and most recently, Edison. The Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus hosts the annual Philippine Fiesta, a cultural festival that draws Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike from across the New York metropolitan area. The event takes place on the weekend of the second week of August. As of 2021, Jollibee, the restaurant conglomerate headquartered in Ortigas Center, Pasig, in Metro Manila, had five branch locations in Northern and Central Jersey, including three in Jersey City alone.