Living in Upstate New York, it’s easy to have an inferiority complex. Why? Because Downstate is home to the city. If there were ever any doubts about that, these numbers regarding New York City should put them to rest.
11
The number of US states with more residents than New York City’s 8.8 million. If the entire metropolitan area of 20.1 million is taken into account, only three states—California, Texas, and Florida—boast a larger population. And yes, that does mean the NYC metropolitan area, which extends into neighboring states, is more populated than New York State.
4
The number of boroughs of New York City (out of a total of five) that, if independent, would be among the ten most populous cities in the US. The smallest one—Staten Island—is still almost double the size of Buffalo, the second largest city in New York State.
3.2 million
An estimate of the number of New York City residents born outside the US. That figure alone would amount to the country’s second largest city (behind Los Angeles).
$2.5 trillion
The predicted 2023 GDP for the NYC metro area, meaning it would be number eight in the world—if it were a country!
2
The number of cities ranked in the highest tier by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, which basically quantifies global importance. Those, of course, are New York City and London.
(In the 12th tier of that ranking—labeled the sufficiency level—lie Buffalo and nearby Rochester. Please refer to the inferiority complex mentioned above.)
4,196,372
The amount of cargo—in twenty-foot equivalent units—handled at the Port of New York and New Jersey, the most of any port in the eastern US. Exciting? Maybe not. But the fact that New York Harbor is one of the largest natural harbors in the world has definitely helped New York City become the monster that it is.
800
A guess as to the number of languages spoken in New York City.
9
The number of NYC metro area teams in the four major US sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL).
101
The number of billionaires in New York City, more than any other city across the globe.
472
The number of stops on the NYC subway, making it the largest single-operator rapid transit system in the world.
Note: The subway in Rochester has been abandoned since 1956. Did I mention the inferiority complex?
