Population 80,053 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Lower East Side
Household size in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.56 | 2.15 | 2.79 | 2.68 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.43 | 2.16 | 2.85 | 2.72 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.20 | 2.12 | 2.82 | 2.69 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.13 | 2.08 | 2.79 | 2.65 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.44 | −0.07 | −0.00 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Lower East Side is a place of small households, averaging 2.13 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. The picture is much the same across Manhattan. Household size has dropped from 2.56 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.5 | 37.5 | 38.0 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.8 | 38.2 | 38.7 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.4 | 39.4 | 39.8 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 43.0 | 40.4 | 40.4 | 40.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +3.5 | +2.8 | +2.4 | +2.5 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Lower East Side is 43.0 years old, older than the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 39.5, mirroring the country. Residents skew youngest in the north and oldest in the southwest.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.7% | 10.5% | 13.1% | 13.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.5% | 9.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.9% | 8.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.1% | 8.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.6 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.5 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in twelve households in Lower East Side (9.1%), below the national share of 11.6%. That is in line with the rest of Manhattan. The single-parent share is down 1.6 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Lower East Side
Renters in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.5% | 77.2% | 47.1% | 44.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 86.2% | 77.4% | 48.7% | 46.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 86.0% | 75.9% | 48.8% | 46.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 81.9% | 74.9% | 48.6% | 45.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −4.6 pts | −2.2 pts | +1.5 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renters far outnumber owners in Lower East Side: 81.9% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% nationally. Among homeowners, 64.5% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the south and least common in the east. The renter share is down 4.6 points from 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.2% | 12.8% | 9.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.9% | 13.1% | 9.0% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.9% | 13.8% | 9.1% | 11.0% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 12.6% | 15.4% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | +4.4 pts | +2.7 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
More homes sit empty in Lower East Side than nationally: 12.6%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. Still, the rate is lower than in Manhattan overall (15.4%).
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1951 | 1952 | 1957 | 1956 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1951 | 1954 | 1958 | 1957 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1952 | 1954 | 1959 | 1958 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1953 | 1956 | 1962 | 1961 | 1980 |
| Change | +2 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Lower East Side is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1953, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. That is in line with the rest of Manhattan. Newer construction is concentrated in the south, while the north has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $815 | $1,332 | $1,268 | $1,095 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $960 | $1,485 | $1,377 | $1,201 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,043 | $1,922 | $1,645 | $1,426 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,357 | $2,383 | $2,060 | $1,794 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$542 | +$1,051 | +$792 | +$698 | +$606 |
The median renter in Lower East Side pays $1,357 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $542 a month since 2006–10, up 67%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 30.9% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Only one other Manhattan neighborhood has lower rents.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Lower East Side
Bachelor's degrees in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.8% | 57.2% | 35.0% | 31.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 30.8% | 59.6% | 36.7% | 33.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 33.2% | 62.2% | 39.9% | 36.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 39.7% | 64.7% | 43.6% | 39.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +11.9 pts | +7.5 pts | +8.6 pts | +8.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a bit more common in Lower East Side than nationally: 39.7% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. Locally, though, the share is lower than in Manhattan overall (64.7%). The share with a degree is up 11.9 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 62.6% | 84.9% | 83.7% | 84.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 65.3% | 86.6% | 84.6% | 84.9% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 66.5% | 87.8% | 86.2% | 86.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 71.4% | 89.9% | 86.9% | 87.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +8.8 pts | +5.0 pts | +3.3 pts | +3.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly three in ten adults in Lower East Side never finished high school, well above the national share: only 71.4% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma has risen 8.8 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Only one other Manhattan neighborhood has a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Lower East Side
| Period | Lower East Side | Manhattan | New York area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.8% | 8.3% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.9% | 8.6% | 9.5% | 9.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.4% | 5.5% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.0% | 8.2% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.8 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Lower East Side: 9.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 1.8 points, in line with the national trend. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Lower East Side compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower East Side | 2.13 | 43.0 | 9.1% | 81.9% | 12.6% | 1953 | $1,357 | 39.7% | 71.4% | 9.0% |
| Chinatown | 2.21 | 49.8 | 4.5% | 75.5% | 23.4% | 1959 | $1,230 | 30.8% | 56.4% | 13.8% |
| Little Italy | 1.76 | 36.5 | 4.7% | 91.7% | 16.1% | 1942 | $2,406 | 68.8% | 85.3% | 6.5% |
| East Village | 1.91 | 36.5 | 6.4% | 83.2% | 10.9% | 1950 | $2,280 | 63.0% | 89.4% | 7.3% |
| Soho | 1.78 | 40.6 | 2.9% | 64.5% | 22.7% | 1952 | $3,014 | 89.7% | 99.4% | 2.9% |
| Dumbo | 2.12 | 36.3 | 12.3% | 58.2% | 10.1% | 1974 | $3,023 | 77.1% | 96.6% | 5.5% |
| Tribeca | 2.20 | 40.1 | 6.9% | 55.4% | 21.8% | 1960 | $3,238 | 84.3% | 97.6% | 3.5% |
| Financial District | 1.96 | 32.1 | 4.5% | 74.8% | 18.1% | 1962 | $3,307 | 83.6% | 96.8% | 3.9% |
| Greenwich Village | 1.79 | 37.9 | 3.1% | 60.4% | 20.0% | 1946 | $3,065 | 88.0% | 98.6% | 5.7% |
| Brooklyn Heights | 1.94 | 38.9 | 4.2% | 49.4% | 11.1% | 1944 | $2,969 | 84.9% | 97.7% | 3.8% |
| Battery Park | 2.29 | 39.8 | 9.0% | 70.5% | 15.5% | 1991 | $3,501 | 84.9% | 99.4% | 3.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Northeast Raleigh, Raleigh, NC · Evergreen, San Jose, CA · Northwest, Columbus, OH · Lake View, Chicago, IL · Mid Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA · Mott Haven, Bronx, NY · Near North Side, Chicago, IL · North Long Beach, Long Beach, CA · North, Raleigh, NC · North Valley, San Jose, CA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Lower East Side. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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