Dynamics of Racial/Hispanic Population of Westchester County
2010 to 2020
Introduction
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes data from the decennial census mainly for legislative redistricting purposes. The PL94-171 law, enacted by Congress in 1974, requires the U.S. Census Bureau to furnish tabulations of population to each state, including for those small areas the states have identified, within one year of Census day.
The PL94-171 data file contains basic population information down to the lowest level of geography, the census block for:
1) race and Hispanic origin 2) population under 18 and population over 18 (by race and Hispanic Origin) 3) housing units
This StoryMap is based on the 2020 PL94-171 redistricting file released by the Census Bureau in 2021. In addition, the StoryMap contains the 2010 redistricting file data which was reconciled for census block groups to conform to the 2020 block group geography by the efforts of the Westchester County Department of Planning. Because geographies change between each decade, with some areas split while others combined, it was necessary to conduct the reconciliation to allow comparison of the 2010 data to the 2020 data.
Westchester County is home to over a 1 million residents, as of the 2020 Census enumeration. The population grew by 5.8 percent during the decade. The county is now 49.5% non-Hispanic white - there is longer any major racial or Hispanic category. In 2000, the non-Hispanic white population was 64 percent of the total, while in 2010, the non-Hispanic population declined to 57 percent of total. This nationwide trend is a reason why the term “minority” is now seldom used.
The dot map below displays the distribution of Westchester's diverse population by race/Hispanic origin. As the map illustrates, groups are not evenly dispersed across the County and municipalities. This report offers an overview of:
- the racial/Hispanic composition of the population by municipality, census tract and census block group
- dynamics of neighborhood change between 2010 and 2020 associated with each race/Hispanic Group by municipality, census tract and census block group
Westchester's racial/Hispanic Composition
No one racial/Hispanic group predominated Westchester in 2020.
- The largest racial group is still the White population, though now comprising less than the majority of the population at 49.5 percent
- Hispanic persons were over one-quarter of the population
- Black residents constituted thirteen percent of the population
- The Asian population accounted for 6.5 percent of Westchester's population
- The dot map to the side shows both Race/Hispanic population density, where one dot equals 8 people.
- Blue is Hispanic
- Red is Black/African American
- Orange is White
- Green is Asian
This map shows the 2020 Census Race/Hispanic composition for each municipality in Westchester. Click and hover over the pie charts to see the municipal population composition. Below the map are tabs to focus in on smaller geographies - Census Tract and Census Block Group. Note that the relative size of the pie in relation to others indicates larger or smaller total population.
This map shows the 2020 Census Race/Hispanic composition for each Census Track in Westchester. Click and hover over the pie charts to see the Census Tract population composition.
This map shows the 2020 Census Race/Hispanic composition for each Census Block Group in Westchester. Click and hover over the pie charts to see the block group population composition.
Countywide Population Change
Westchester's population grew by 55,344 persons from 2010 to 2020, a 5.8 percent increase. The White population had a decline of nearly the total gain in County population, at -48,879. The growth in the Hispanic population accounted for the majority of the increase with 62,302 persons.
Population change was uneven by both total as well as Race/Hispanic Origin.
The City of Yonkers, with one-fifth of the County's population had the greatest gain in population, as well as the greatest increase in diversity as will be illustrated in the maps below..
The decline in the White population in Westchester County between 2010 and 2020 is evident in almost all census block groups.
The areas shaded in darker red show the greatest decline in the white Non-Hispanic population.
The Black population remained relatively unchanged during the 2010 to 2020 decade.
The census block groups shaded in red lost Black population while many block group areas throughout Westchester's census block groups had moderate increases of less than 100 Black persons.
The Asian population change in Westchester was more concentrated in fewer census block groups than the other racial/ethnic categories.
The few census block group areas of greatest Asian population increase include parts of the Towns of New Castle, Greenburgh and Eastchester.
The Hispanic population increased in nearly all census block groups in Westchester County during the 2010 to 2020 decade.
The map on the right shows the block group areas of largest Hispanic increase in shades of darkening blue.
The county is more diverse than ever. The Hispanic population increased by 62,000 or 30%, Asian population up by 13,784 or 27%, “Some other race” and “two or more races” saw the most percentage growth– over 100% increases, reflecting the increasing multicultural population. You’ll notice black population increased by over 4,000 or 3.5% BUT that increase was lower than the overall population increase of 5.8% so the percentage of the total population that is black declined by 0.3%.
Looking at the growth of the Hispanic population at the municipal level we see Yonkers gained more than 20,000, of that 62,000 so about 1/3 of the county’s Hispanic population growth. New Rochelle and Mount Vernon gaining over 4,000, Port Chester over 3,000, and 7 more municipalities over 1,000.
Mount Vernon showed strong growth which shows up here as the largest increase in black or African American population but Eastchester is the interesting one on this table going from a community that formerly did not have a large African American population it saw significant growth there at number 3 numerically.
The Asian population increased in Scarsdale and the Edgemont area of Greenburgh but also downtown White Plains, downtown Harrison, Purchase, to the north in Chappaqua. Scarsdale has the highest percentage Asian population in the county at 20.9%.
Population Change by Block Group, 2010 to 2020
