New York metropolitan area

Map of the counties in the four divisions of the New York Metropolitan Area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.[34]

The counties and county groupings constituting the New York metropolitan area are listed below, with 2010 census figures:

Nocturnal view of the New York City metropolitan area, the world's most brightly illuminated conurbation and largest urban landmass. Long Island extends 120 miles eastward from Manhattan, the central core of the conurbation.

Part of the Palisades Interstate Park, the cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades of Bergen County overlook the Hudson River as well as The Bronx and Upper Manhattan in New York.

Enveloped by the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, New York City and Long Island alone are home to approximately 11 million residents conjointly.

The New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area

The Bear Mountain Bridge connecting Westchester and Orange Counties, New York, across the Hudson River, as seen from Bear Mountain

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget utilizes two definitions of the area: the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and the combined statistical area (CSA). The MSA definition is titled the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and includes a population of 20.3 million people by 2017 Census estimates, roughly 1 in 16 Americans and nearly 7 million more than the second-place Los Angeles metropolitan area in the United States. The MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The 23-county MSA includes 10 counties in New York State (coextensive with the five boroughs of New York, the two remaining counties of Long Island, and three counties in the Lower Hudson Valley); 12 counties in Northern and Central New Jersey; and one county in northeastern Pennsylvania. The largest urbanized area in the United States is at the heart of the metropolitan area, the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT Urbanized Area (which had a land area of 3,450 square miles in 2010 according to the 2010 census). The New York state portion of the metropolitan area (the Five Boroughs, the lower Hudson Valley, and Long Island) accounts for over 65 percent of the state's population.

New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (19,043,386)

• New York–Jersey City–White Plains, NY–NJ Metropolitan Division (11,732,233)
  • Kings County, NY (the borough of Brooklyn in NYC)
  • Queens County, NY (the borough of Queens in NYC)
  • New York County, NY (the borough of Manhattan in NYC)
  • Bronx County, NY (the borough of The Bronx in NYC)
  • Richmond County, NY (the borough of Staten Island in NYC)
  • Westchester County, NY
  • Bergen County, NJ
  • Hudson County, NJ
  • Passaic County, NJ
  • Putnam County, NY
  • Rockland County, NY
• Nassau County–Suffolk County, NY Metropolitan Division (2,832,882)
  • Suffolk County, NY
  • Nassau County, NY
• New Brunswick-Lakewood, NJ Metropolitan Division (2,383,854)
  • Middlesex County, NJ
  • Monmouth County, NJ
  • Ocean County, NJ
  • Somerset County, NJ
• Newark, NJ–PA Metropolitan Division (2,174,944)
  • Essex County, NJ
  • Union County, NJ
  • Morris County, NJ
  • Sussex County, NJ
  • Hunterdon County, NJ
  • Pike County, PA

Combined statistical areas (CSAs) group together adjacent core-based statistical areas with a high degree of economic interconnection.[35] The New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 23.7 million as of 2014.[11] About one out of every fifteen Americans resides in this region, which includes eight additional counties in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. This area, less the Pennsylvania portion, is often referred to as the tri-state area and less commonly the tri-state region. The New York City television designated market area (DMA) includes Pike County, Pennsylvania,[36] which is also included in the CSA.

In addition to the New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), the following core-based statistical areas are also included in the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA CSA:

• Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury, CT MSA (916,829)
  • Fairfield County
• New Haven–Milford, CT MSA (862,477)
  • New Haven County, Connecticut
• Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA (396,811)
  • Mercer County
• Torrington, CT micropolitan statistical area (189,927)
  • Litchfield County
• Kingston, NY MSA (182,693)
  • Ulster County
• East Stroudsburg, PA MSA (169,842)
  • Monroe County, Pennsylvania
• Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY MSA (670,301)
  • Dutchess County
  • Orange County, NY

Ten-mile Manhattan skyline panorama (120th St. to the Battery) seen from Weehawken, NJ across the Hudson in February 2018.

1. Riverside Church
2. Deutsche Bank Center
3. 220 Central Park South
4. Central Park Tower
5. One57
6. 432 Park Ave
7. 53W53
8. Chrysler Building
9. Bank of America Tower
10. Conde Nast Building
11. The New York Times Building
12. Empire State Building
13. Manhattan West
14. a: 55 Hudson Yards, b: 35 Hudson Yards, c: 10 Hudson Yards, d: 15 Hudson Yards
15. 56 Leonard St
16. 8 Spruce St
17. Woolworth Building
18. 70 Pine St
19. 30 Park Pl
20. 40 Wall St
21. 3 World Trade Ctr
22. 4 World Trade Ctr
23. 1 World Trade Ctr

The geographical, cultural, and economic center of the metropolitan area is New York City, the most populous city in the United States. The city consists of five boroughs, each of which is coterminous with a county of New York State. The five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898.[41] With a Census-estimated population of 8,550,405 in 2015 (8,491,079 in 2014[42][43]), distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (790 km²),[44] New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States.[45] A global power city,[46] New York City exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, health care and life sciences,[20] media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace[47][48] defining the term New York minute.[49] Home to the headquarters of the United Nations,[50] New York is an important center for international diplomacy.[51] New York is a global city[52] and has been described as the cultural,[53][54] financial,[25][26] and media capital[28][29] of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city.[31][26][55][27]

The Village of Garden City in Nassau County, Long Island's Town of Hempstead, which with over 770,000 people is the New York metropolitan area's most populous individual municipality outside New York City.[56]

Westhampton, Suffolk County, New York, on the East End of Long Island, December 2008

Long Island, the most populous island in the United States, is located just off the northeast coast of the United States and is a region wholly included within both the U.S. state of New York and the New York metropolitan area. Extending 118 miles east-northeast of Roosevelt Island, Manhattan from New York Harbor into the Atlantic Ocean, the island comprises four counties: Kings and Queens (these form the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, respectively) to the west; then Nassau and Suffolk to the east. However, most people in the New York metropolitan area (even those living in Queens and Brooklyn) colloquially use the term "Long Island" (or "The Island") exclusively to refer to the Nassau-Suffolk county area collectively, which is mainly suburban in character.[57] North of the island is Long Island Sound, across which are the U.S. states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

With a population of 8,063,232 enumerated at the 2020 U.S. Census, constituting nearly 40% of New York State's population,[58][59][60][61][62] the majority of New York City residents, 58.4% as of 2020, live on Long Island, namely the estimated 4,896,398 residents living in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.[63] Long Island is the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory, and the 17th-most populous island in the world (ahead of Ireland, Jamaica, and Hokkaidō). Its population density is 5,571 inhabitants per square mile (2,151/km²). If Long Island geographically constituted an independent metropolitan statistical area, it would rank fourth most populous in the United States; while if it were a U.S. state, Long Island would rank 13th in population and first in population density. Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.[64][65] The Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, with an estimated population of 770,367 in 2016, is the most populous municipality in the New York metropolitan area outside of New York City.[56]

Long Island is also the 17th most populous island in the world, but is more prominently known for recreation, boating, and miles of public beaches, including numerous town, county, and state parks, as well as Fire Island National Seashore and wealthy and expensive coastal residential enclaves. Along the north shore, the Gold Coast of Long Island, featured in the film The Great Gatsby, is an upscale section of Nassau and western Suffolk counties that once featured many lavish mansions built and inhabited by wealthy business tycoons in the earlier years of the 20th century, of which only a few remain preserved as historic sites. The East End of Long Island (known as the "Twin Forks" because of its physical shape) boasts open spaces for farmland and wineries. The South Fork, in particular, comprises numerous towns and villages known collectively as "The Hamptons" and has an international reputation as a "playground for the rich and famous", with some of the wealthiest communities in the United States. In 2015, according to Business Insider, the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack, within Southampton, was listed as the most expensive in the U.S. by real estate-listings site Property Shark, with a median home sale price of $5,125,000.[66] During the summer season, many celebrities and the wealthy visit or reside in mansions and waterfront homes, while others spend weekends enjoying the beaches, gardens, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.

Long Island is served by a network of parkways and expressways, with the Long Island Expressway, Northern State Parkway, and Southern State Parkway being major east–west routes across significant portions of the island. Commuter rail access is provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road, one of the largest commuter railroads in the United States. Air travel needs are served by several airports. Within Queens, the island is home to John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, two of the three major airline hubs serving the New York area (with Newark Liberty International Airport being the third; all three major airports are operated by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey). Long Island MacArthur Airport (serving commercial airlines) and Farmingdale/Republic Airport (private and commuter flights) are both located in Suffolk County.

Known for its hilly terrain, picturesque settings, and quaint small towns and villages, the Lower Hudson Valley is centered around the Hudson River north of New York City and lies within New York State. Westchester and Putnam counties are located on the eastern side of the river, and Rockland and Orange counties are located on the western side of the river. Westchester and Rockland counties are connected by the heavily trafficked New Tappan Zee Bridge, as well as by the Bear Mountain Bridge near their northern ends. Several branches of the MTA Metro-North Railroad serve the region's rail commuters. Southern Westchester County contains more densely populated areas and includes the cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains. Although many of the suburban communities of Westchester are known for their affluence and expense (some examples: Bronxville, Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Armonk, Katonah, and Briarcliff Manor), the Lower Hudson Valley as a whole is one of the fastest-growing areas in the metropolitan area because of high housing costs in New York and the inner suburbs.

Historically, the valley was home to many factories, including paper mills, but a significant number have closed. After years of lingering pollution, cleanup efforts to improve the Hudson River water quality are currently planned and will be supervised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).[67]

The Mid-Hudson Valley region of the State of New York is midway between New York City and the state capital of Albany. The area includes the counties of Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan, as well as the northern portions of Orange County, with the region's main cities being Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Kingston, and Beacon. The Walkway over the Hudson, is the second longest pedestrian footbridge in the world. It crosses the Hudson River connecting Poughkeepsie and Highland. The 13 mile-long Dutchess Rail Trail stretches from Hopewell Junction to the beginning of the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. The area is home to the Wappingers Central School District, which the second-largest school district in the state of New York. The Newburgh Waterfront in the City of Newburgh is home to many high-end restaurants.

U.S. Route 9, I-84, and the Taconic State Parkway all run through Dutchess County. Metro-North Railroad train station, New Hamburg, is located in the Town of Poughkeepsie and runs from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, dedicated as a National Historical Park in November 2011, incorporates one of the largest waterfalls in the eastern United States.[68]

Northern New Jersey, also known colloquially as North Jersey, is typically defined as comprising the following counties:

• Bergen County
• Essex County
• Somerset County (anything north of Bridgewater Township)
• Hudson County
• Hunterdon County (anything north of Readington Township)
• Morris County
• Passaic County
• Sussex County
• Union County
• Warren County

The New Jersey State Department of Tourism splits North Jersey into the urban Gateway Region and the more rural Skylands Region. Northern New Jersey is home to four of the largest cities of that state: Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth.

The region is geographically diverse with wetlands, mountains, and valleys throughout the area. It has a large network of expressways and public transportation rail services, mostly operated by New Jersey Transit. Northern New Jersey also contains the second busiest airport in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty International Airport.

Downtown Trenton in Mercer County, including the New Jersey State House topped by its golden dome, alongside the Delaware River

Downtown New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, an educational and cultural district undergoing gentrification

Although it is a suburban and rural region of New York, much of the Gateway Region is highly urbanized. The entirety of Hudson County, eastern Essex County, southern Passaic County as well as Elizabeth in Union County are all densely populated areas.

Central Jersey is the middle portion of the state of New Jersey. Municipalities including Trenton (the state capital of New Jersey and the only U.S. state capital within the New York metropolitan area) and Princeton (home to Princeton University) are located in this subregion, as is a significant portion of the Jersey Shore.

• Middlesex County
• Mercer County
• Monmouth County
• Union County
• Hunterdon County (anything south of Readington Township)
• Somerset County (anything south of Bridgewater Township)

Belmar, Monmouth County, on the Jersey Shore

The Mohonk Mountain House, Ulster County, New York, in the Hudson Valley, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.[69]

Sugarloaf Hill in Putnam County, New York, in the Hudson Valley

A deer in a suburban street (Highland Park, Middlesex County, NJ)

Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the Berkshire Mountains

Fairfield, New Haven, and Litchfield counties in western Connecticut (like the state in general) are known for affluence. Large businesses are scattered throughout the area, mostly in Fairfield County. The land is flat along the coast with low hills eventually giving way to larger hills such as The Berkshires further inland, to the Massachusetts border. Most of the largest cities in the state are in New Haven County (home to Yale University) and Fairfield County.

Candlewood Lake is the largest recreational lake in the New York metropolitan area. The lake is located within the Greater Danbury region, and is home to many second homes of New York City residents.

Dingmans Falls in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pike County, northeastern Pennsylvania

Pike County is located in northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 57,369.[70] Its county seat is Milford.[71] Part of the Pocono Mountains region lies within Pike County, which has ranked among the fastest-growing counties of Pennsylvania.[72]

Downtown Stamford in Fairfield County, Connecticut

The New Haven Green Historic District in Connecticut was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1970.[73]

The combined statistical area is a multicore metropolitan region containing several urban areas.

Aerial view of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey's most populous city

Public Library in Yonkers, Westchester County, New York

Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Connecticut's most populous city

Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, known as the "Silk City",[74] seen here from Garret Mountain Reservation, is a prime destination for a diverse pool of international immigrants.[75][76]

Under the Köppen climate classification, New York City, western (and parts of eastern) Long Island, and the Jersey Shore experience a humid subtropical climate (Cfa),[81][82] and New York is thus the northernmost major city on the North American continent with this climate type.

Much of the remainder of the metropolitan area lies in the transition zone from a humid subtropical (Cfa) to a humid continental climate (Dfa),[81][82] and it is only the inland, more exurban areas far to the north and west such as Sussex County, New Jersey, that have a January daily average of −3 °C (26.6 °F) or below and are fully humid continental; the Dfb (warm summer subtype) regime is only found inland at a higher elevation,[81] and receives greater snowfall[83] than the Dfa region. Much of Monroe and most of Pike County in Pennsylvania also have a fully humid continental climate.

Summers in the area are typically hot and humid. Nighttime conditions in and around the five boroughs of New York are often exacerbated by the urban heat island phenomenon, and temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on average of 7–8 days (on the immediate Long Island Sound and Atlantic coasts), up to in excess of 27 days (inland suburbs in New Jersey) each summer and may exceed 100 °F (38 °C).. Normally, warm to hot temperatures begin in mid May, and last through early October. Summers also feature passing thundershowers which build in the heat of the day, then drop brief, but intense rainfall.

Winters are cold with a mix of rain and snow. Although prevailing winds in winter are offshore, and temper the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic and the partial shielding by the Appalachians from colder air keep the New York area warmer in the winter than inland North American metropolitan areas located at similar or lesser latitudes including Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Warm periods with 50 °F (10 °C)+ temperatures may occasionally occur during winter as well.[84] The hardiness zone in the New York metropolitan area varies over a wide range from 5a in the highest areas of Dutchess, Monroe, and Ulster Counties to 7b in most of NYC as well as Hudson County from Bayonne up the east side of the Palisades to Route 495, the majority of Nassau County, the north coast of Monmouth County, and Copiague Harbor, Lindenhurst, and Montauk in Suffolk County.

Almost all of the metropolitan area receives at least 42 inches (1,070 mm) of precipitation annually, which is relatively evenly spread throughout the year, and many areas receive upwards of 50 in (1,270 mm). Average winter snowfall for 1981 to 2010 ranges from just under 25 inches (64 cm) along the coast of Long Island to more than 50 in (127 cm) in some inland areas, but this usually varies considerably from year to year.[85] Hurricanes and tropical storms have impacted the Tri-State area in the past, though a direct hit is rare. Several areas on Long Island, New Jersey, and the Connecticut coast have been impacted by serious storm surges in the past. Inland areas have been impacted by heavy rain and flooding from tropical cyclones.[86]

The New York metropolitan area averages 234 days with at least some sunshine and 59% of possible sunlight annually,[87] accumulating 2,400 to 2,800 hours of sunshine per annum.[88]

The U.S. Census Bureau first designated metropolitan areas in 1950 as standard metropolitan areas (SMAs). The "New York–Northeastern NJ SMA" was defined to include 17 counties: 9 in New York (the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland) and 8 in New Jersey (Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Essex, Union, Morris, Somerset, and Middlesex). In 1960, the metropolitan area standards were modified and renamed standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs). The new standards resulted in the splitting of the former SMA into several pieces: the nine New York counties became the "New York SMSA"; three of the New Jersey counties (Essex, Union, and Morris) became the "Newark SMSA"; two other New Jersey counties (Bergen and Passaic) became the "Paterson–Passaic–Clifton SMSA"; Hudson County was designated the "Jersey City SMSA"; and Middlesex and Somerset counties lost their metropolitan status. In 1973, a new set of metropolitan area standards resulted in further changes: Nassau and Suffolk counties were split off as their own SMSA ("Nassau–Suffolk SMSA"); Bergen County (originally part of the Paterson–Clifton–Passaic SMSA) was transferred to the New York SMSA; the New York SMSA also received Putnam County (previously non-metropolitan); Somerset County was added to the Newark SMSA; and two new SMSAs, the "New Brunswick–Perth Amboy–Sayreville SMSA" (Middlesex County) and "Long Branch–Asbury Park SMSA" (Monmouth County), were established. In 1983, the concept of a consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) was first implemented. A CMSA consisted of several primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs), which were individual employment centers within a wider labor market area. The "New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island CMSA" consisted of 12 PMSAs.

Seven PMSAs were based on the original 1950 New York SMA that were split up: New York, Bergen–Passaic, Jersey City, Middlesex–Somerset–Hunterdon (Hunterdon added for the first time), Monmouth–Ocean (Ocean added for the first time), Nassau–Suffolk, and Newark (Sussex added for the first time). One additional PMSA was the Orange County PMSA (previously the Newburgh–Middletown SMSA). The other four PMSAs were former SMSAs in Connecticut: Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, and Danbury. In 1993, four PMSAs were added to the New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island CMSA: Trenton PMSA (Mercer County), Dutchess County PMSA, Waterbury PMSA, and New Haven PMSA. Several new counties were also added to the CMSA: Sussex, Warren, and Pike. The CMSA model was originally utilized for tabulating data from the 2000 census. In 2003, a new set of standards was established using the Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) model was adopted and remains in use as of 2010. The CBSA model resulted in the splitting up of the old CMSA into several metropolitan statistical areas: New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island, Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, Trenton–Princeton, Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk (includes Danbury), and New Haven–Milford (includes Waterbury). In 2013, the Census Bureau added Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania, and Warren County, New Jersey (encompassing collectively the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA and the East Stroudsburg, PA MSA), to the Combined Statistical Area,[115] and assimilated Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown into the larger New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island–NY–NJ–PA MSA. In 2018, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA was removed from the Combined Statistical Area.[116]

The metropolitan region has never had separate political representation from the rest of their original states. This has to do with disagreements in the desired model and the constitutional complexity of the metropolitan region being cross-state. Within the State of New York over the last 30 years,[117] discussions have emerged of splitting the states into different regions with separate governors and legislators whilst remaining part of the same state — as opposed to seeing New York and its metropolitan area being split into a separate state.[118][119] The idea has been seen by Republicans in the state as an opportunity to dislocate the Democratic party's hold in the state legislature.[120][121]

The discussion surrounding the re-organisation of New York State has commonly been in two models: The two-region model creates a "downstate" New York region which would consist of all five New York City boroughs, Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, and Westchester and Rockland counties, then Upstate would be the remaining 53;[120][118] and the three-region model is New York having five counties; Montauk would consist of Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, and Westchester counties and; New Amsterdam would be the remaining portion of New York State.[120][119][122] This debate was reported as recent as February 2019, when Republican state Senator Daphne Jordan supported the state being split into two states,[120][118] however it was believed that the proposal would require an act of congress for it to be passed.[123]

As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area had a population of 22,085,649. The population density was 1,865 per square mile. The racial markup was 51.7% White (non-Latino), 21.7% Latino, 15.3% African-American, 9.0% Asian-American, 0.16% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.03% Pacific Islands American, 0.5% Other, and 1.6% Multiracial.[131]

The median age was 37.9. 25.5% were under 18, 9.5% were 18 to 24 years, 28% were 25 to 44 years of age, 26.6% were 45 to 64 years old, and 13.2% were over the age of 65. Males composed 48.3% of the population while females were 51.7% of the population.

97.7% of the population were in households, 2.3% were in group quarters, and 1% were institutionalized. There were 8,103,731 households, of which 30.2% or 2,449,343 had children. 46.1% or 3,736,165 were composed of opposite sex and married couples. Male households with no wife composed 4.9% or 400,534. 15.0% or 1,212,436 were female households with no husbands. 34% or 2,754,596 were non-family households. The household density was 684 per square mile. 91.9% of housing units were occupied with a 3.8% vacancy rate. The average household size was 2.65 per household. The average income for non-family households was $90,335, and the average income for families was $104,715. 13.3% or 2,888,493 of the population were below the poverty line.

26.7% or 5,911,993 of the population were born outside the United States. Out of this, most (50.6% or 2,992,639) were born in Latin America, 27.0% or 1,595,523 were born in Asia, 17.4% or 1,028,506 were born in Europe, 3.8% or 224,109 were born in Africa, and 0.2% or 11,957 were born in Oceania.

As of July 1, 2015, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the New York metropolitan area at 23,723,696, an increase of 647,032 from 2010.[11]

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, considered the “worldwide symbol of Christmas”, is an annual staple of the New York metropolitan area during the Holiday season[132]

The New York metropolitan region is ethnically diverse. Asian Americans in New York City, according to the 2010 Census, number more than one million, greater than the combined totals of San Francisco and Los Angeles.[133] New York contains the highest total Asian population of any U.S. city proper.[134] The New York borough of Queens is home to the state's largest Asian American population and the largest Andean (Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Chilean and Bolivian) populations in the United States, and is also the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.[135][136] The Han Chinese population constitutes the fastest-growing ethnicity in New York State; multiple satellites of the original Manhattan Chinatown (紐約華埠), in Brooklyn (布鲁克林華埠), and around Flushing, Queens (法拉盛華埠), are thriving as traditionally urban enclaves, while also expanding rapidly eastward into suburban Nassau County.[137] on Long Island,[138] as the New York metropolitan region and New York State have become the top destinations for new Chinese immigrants, respectively, and large-scale Chinese immigration continues into New York City and surrounding areas.[139][140][141][142][143][144] In 2012, 6.3% of New York was of Chinese ethnicity, with nearly three-fourths living in either Queens or Brooklyn, geographically on Long Island.[145] In particular, the New York area has over 100,000 Fuzhounese people.[146] A community numbering 20,000 Korean-Chinese (Chaoxianzu (Chinese: 朝鲜族) or Joseonjok (Korean: 조선족)) is centered in Flushing, Queens, while New York is also home to the largest Tibetan population outside China, India, and Nepal, also centered in Queens.[147] Koreans made up 1.2% of the city's population, and Japanese 0.3%. Filipinos were the largest Southeast Asian ethnic group at 0.8%, followed by Vietnamese, who made up 0.2% of New York's population in 2010. Indians are the largest South Asian group, comprising 2.4% of the city's population, with Bangladeshis and Pakistanis at 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively.[148] Queens is the preferred borough of settlement for Asian Indians, Koreans, and Filipinos,[149] as well as Malaysians[15] and other Southeast Asians;[150] while Brooklyn is receiving large numbers of both West Indian as well as Asian Indian immigrants.

New York has the largest European and non-Hispanic white population of any American city. At 2.7 million in 2012, New York's non-Hispanic white population is larger than the non-Hispanic white populations of Los Angeles (1.1 million), Chicago (865,000), and Houston (550,000) combined.[151] The European diaspora residing in the city is very diverse. According to 2012 Census estimates, there were roughly 560,000 Italian Americans, 385,000 Irish Americans, 253,000 German Americans, 223,000 Russian Americans, 201,000 Polish Americans, and 137,000 English Americans. Additionally, Greek and French Americans numbered 65,000 each, with those of Hungarian descent estimated at 60,000 people. Ukrainian and Scottish Americans numbered 55,000 and 35,000, respectively. People identifying ancestry from Spain numbered 30,838 total in 2010.[152] People of Norwegian and Swedish descent both stood at about 20,000 each, while people of Czech, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh descent all numbered between 12,000 and 14,000 people.[153] Arab Americans number over 160,000 in New York City,[154] with the highest concentration in Brooklyn. Central Asians, primarily Uzbek Americans, are a rapidly growing segment of the city's non-Hispanic white population, enumerating over 30,000, and including over half of all Central Asian immigrants to the United States,[155] most settling in Queens or Brooklyn. Albanian Americans are most highly concentrated in the Bronx.[156]

The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest gay and bisexual community in the United States and one of the world's largest.[157][158]

The wider New York metropolitan area is also ethnically diverse.[159] The New York region continues to be by far the leading metropolitan gateway for legal immigrants admitted into the United States, substantially exceeding the combined totals of Los Angeles and Miami, the next most popular gateway regions.[160][161][162][163] It is home to the largest Jewish as well as Israeli communities outside Israel, with the Jewish population in the region numbering over 1.5 million in 2012 and including many diverse Jewish sects from around the Middle East and Eastern Europe.[147] The metropolitan area is also home to 20% of the nation's Indian Americans and at least 20 Little India enclaves, as well as 15% of all Korean Americans and four Koreatowns;[164][165] the largest Asian Indian population in the Western Hemisphere; the largest Russian American,[139] Italian American, and African American populations; the largest Dominican American, Puerto Rican American, and South American[139] and second-largest overall Hispanic population in the United States, numbering 4.8 million;[152] and includes at least 6 established Chinatowns within New York City alone,[166] with the urban agglomeration comprising a population of 819,527 uniracial overseas Chinese as of 2014 Census estimates,[167] the largest outside of Asia.[129][130]

Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Brazil were the top source countries from South America for legal immigrants to the New York region in 2013; the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean; Egypt, Ghana, and Nigeria from Africa; and El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in Central America.[168] Amidst a resurgence of Puerto Rican migration to New York City, this population had increased to approximately 1.3 million in the metropolitan area as of 2013.

The New York metropolitan area is home to a self-identifying gay and bisexual community estimated at 568,903 individuals, the largest in the United States and one of the world's largest.[157][158] Same-sex marriages in New York were legalized on June 24, 2011, and were authorized to take place beginning 30 days thereafter.[169] The annual New York City Pride March (or gay pride parade) traverses southward down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, ending at Greenwich Village, and rivals the Sao Paulo Gay Pride Parade as the largest pride parade in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June.[170]

The landmark Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic St. Patrick's Cathedral, Midtown Manhattan.

Brooklyn's rapidly growing Orthodox Jewish (יהודי) community is the largest in the United States, with approximately 600,000 individuals,[171] out of the largest metropolitan Jewish population in the Western Hemisphere, at nearly 2.5 million.

The Islamic Cultural Center of New York (Arabic: المركز الثقافي الإسلامي في نيويورك) in Upper Manhattan. With an estimated 1.5 million observers, the New York metropolitan area is home to the largest metropolitan Muslim population in the Western Hemisphere.

Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam (Telugu: శ్రీ మహావల్లభ గణపతి దేవస్థానం) or (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ மகா வல்லப கணபதி தேவஸ்தானம்), in Flushing, Queens, the oldest Hindu temple in the United States.

The Chuang Yen Monastery (莊嚴寺), in Kent, Putnam County, houses the largest indoor statue of Buddha in the Western Hemisphere.[172]

Atheism, promoted on an electronic billboard in Times Square, is observed by a significant proportion of New Yorkers.

The 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey showed that the religious makeup of the New York metro area was as follows:

New York's most important economic sector lies in its role as the headquarters for the U.S. financial industry, metonymously known as Wall Street. Anchored by Wall Street, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world,[31][179][180][181][182] and the city is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.[177][178] The city's securities industry, enumerating 163,400 jobs in August 2013, continues to form the largest segment of the city's financial sector and an important economic engine, accounting in 2012 for 5 percent of the city's private sector jobs, 8.5 percent (US$3.8 billion) of its tax revenue, and 22 percent of the city's total wages, including an average salary of US$360,700.[183]

Manhattan had approximately 520 million square feet (48.1 million m²) of office space in 2013,[184] making it the largest office market in the United States,[185] while Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the nation.[186]

Lower Manhattan is the third largest central business district in the United States and is home to both the New York Stock Exchange, on Wall Street, and the NASDAQ, at 165 Broadway, representing the world's largest and second largest stock exchanges, respectively, when measured both by overall average daily trading volume and by total market capitalization of their listed companies in 2013.[178] Wall Street investment banking fees in 2012 totaled approximately US$40 billion,[187] while in 2013, senior New York bank officers who manage risk and compliance functions earned as much as US$324,000 annually.[188]

In July 2013, NYSE Euronext, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, took over the administration of the London interbank offered rate from the British Bankers Association.[189]

Many Wall Street firms have added or moved auxiliary financial or technical operations into Jersey City, to take advantage of New Jersey's relatively lower commercial real estate and rental prices, while offering continued geographic proximity to Manhattan's financial industry ecosystem.[190]

Manhattan's Flatiron District was the cradle of Silicon Alley, now metonymous for the New York metropolitan region's high tech sector, which has since expanded beyond the area.[191]

Silicon Alley, centered in New York, has evolved into a metonym for the sphere encompassing the metropolitan region's high technology industries[192] involving the internet, new media, financial technology (fintech) and cryptocurrency, telecommunications, digital media, software development, biotechnology, game design, and other fields within information technology that are supported by its entrepreneurship ecosystem and venture capital investments. High technology startup companies and employment are growing in New York and across the metropolitan region, bolstered by the city's emergence as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance,[193] and environmental sustainability,[194][195] as well as New York's position as the leading Internet hub and telecommunications center in North America, including its vicinity to several transatlantic fiber optic trunk lines,[196] the city's intellectual capital, and its extensive outdoor wireless connectivity.[197] Verizon Communications, headquartered at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, was at the final stages in 2014 of completing a US$3 billion fiberoptic telecommunications upgrade throughout New York City.[198]

Butler Library at Columbia University, described as one of the most beautiful college libraries in the United States.[199]

The biotechnology sector is also growing in the New York metropolitan region, based upon its strength in academic scientific research and public and commercial financial support. On December 19, 2011, then-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his choice of Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to build Cornell Tech, a US$2 billion graduate school of applied sciences on Roosevelt Island, Manhattan with the goal of transforming New York into the world's premier technology capital.[200][201] By mid-2014, Accelerator, a biotech investment firm, had raised more than US$30 million from investors, including Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, for initial funding to create biotechnology startups at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, which encompasses more than 700,000 square feet (65,000 m²) on East 29th Street and promotes collaboration among scientists and entrepreneurs at the center and with nearby academic, medical, and research institutions. The New York City Economic Development Corporation's Early Stage Life Sciences Funding Initiative and venture capital partners, including Celgene, General Electric Ventures, and Eli Lilly, committed a minimum of US$100 million to help launch 15 to 20 ventures in life sciences and biotechnology.[202] Westchester County has also developed a burgeoning biotechnology sector in the 21st century, with over US$1 billion in planned private investment as of 2016,[203] earning the county the nickname Biochester.[204]

Low Library, the Neoclassical centerpiece of the Columbia University campus

The bronze clock on Harkness Tower at Yale University, a structure reflecting the Collegiate Gothic architectural genre

Watercolor of Cleveland Tower, Princeton University, seen in the noon autumn sun

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a 25-mile (40 km) radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. A major economic engine for the New York metropolitan area, the port includes the system of navigable waterways in the estuary along 650 miles (1,050 km) of shoreline in the vicinity of New York and the Gateway Region of northeastern New Jersey, as well as the region's airports and supporting rail and roadway distribution networks. In 2010, 4,811 ships entered the harbor carrying over 32.2 million metric tons of cargo valued at over $175 billion.[205] The port handled $208 billion in shipping cargo in 2011. Approximately 3,200,000 TEUs of containers and 700,000 automobiles are handled per year.[206] In the first half of 2014, the port handled 1,583,449 containers, a 35,000-container increase above the six-month record set in 2012,[207] while the port handled a monthly record of 306,805 containers in October 2014.[208]

Water purity and availability are a lifeline for the New York metropolitan region. New York City is supplied with drinking water by the protected Catskill Mountains watershed.[209] As a result of the watershed's integrity and undisturbed natural water filtration system, New York is one of only four major cities in the United States the majority of whose drinking water is pure enough not to require purification by water treatment plants.[210] The Croton Watershed north of the city is undergoing construction of a US$3.2 billion water purification plant to augment New York's water supply by an estimated 290 million gallons daily, representing a greater than 20% addition to the city's current availability of water.[211] The ongoing expansion of New York City Water Tunnel No. 3, an integral part of the New York City water supply system, is the largest capital construction project in the city's history,[212] with segments serving Manhattan and The Bronx completed, and with segments serving Brooklyn and Queens planned for construction in 2020.[213] Much of the fresh water for northern and central New Jersey is provided by reservoirs, but numerous municipal water wells exist which accomplish the same purpose.

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, of the 14,973,063 persons in this area over 25 years of age, 14.8% (2,216,578) had a graduate or professional degree, 21.1% (3,166,037) had a bachelor's degree, 6.4% (962,007) had an associate degree, 16.0% (2,393,990) had some college education but no degree, 26.8% (4,009,901) had a high school diploma or equivalent, 14.8% (2,224,557) had less than a high school education.[224] In 2010, CNN Money ranked the area as one of the top 10 smartest regions in the United States.[225]

About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in the New York metropolitan area.[227][228]

The New York City Subway is the largest rapid transit system in the world when measured by stations in operation, with 472, and by length of routes. In 2006 it was the third largest when measured by annual ridership (1.5 billion passenger trips in 2006),[229] However, in 2013, the subway delivered over 1.71 billion rides,[230] but slipped to being the seventh busiest rapid transit rail system in the world.[231] New York's subway is also notable because nearly the entire system remains open 24 hours a day, in contrast to the overnight shutdown common to systems in most cities, including Hong Kong,[232][233] London, Seoul,[234][235] Tokyo, and Toronto.

PATH is a rapid transit system connecting the cities of Newark, Harrison, Hoboken, and Jersey City, in metropolitan northern New Jersey, with the lower and midtown sections of Manhattan in New York City. The PATH is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. PATH trains run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.[236] The system has a total route length of 13.8 mi (22.2 km), not double-counting route overlaps.[237]

The metropolitan area is also fundamentally defined by the areas from which people commute into New York. The city is served by three primary commuter rail systems, and is provided intercity rail transit with Amtrak.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the busiest commuter railroad in the United States as of 2015,[238] is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an agency of the State Government of New York that focuses on New York City-area transit). It has two major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan and Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn, with a minor terminal at the Long Island City station and a major transfer point at the Jamaica station in Queens.

New Jersey Transit (NJT), the second busiest commuter railroad in the United States as of 2015,[238] is operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, an agency of the state of New Jersey, in conjunction with Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak. It has major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, Hoboken Terminal, and Newark Pennsylvania Station, with a major transfer point at Secaucus Junction in Hudson County, New Jersey. New Jersey Transit also operates the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail through Hudson County, the Newark City Subway, and the River Line that runs along tracks shared with Conrail Shared Assets Operations from Trenton to Camden in South Jersey. NJ Transit also has commuter buses operating in and out of Manhattan.

Metro-North Railroad (MNRR), the third busiest commuter railroad in the United States as of 2015,[238] is also operated by the MTA, in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit. Its major terminal is Grand Central Terminal. Trains on the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line terminate at Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey; commuters may transfer at either Secaucus Junction for New Jersey Transit trains to New York Pennsylvania Station or at Hoboken Terminal for PATH trains into Manhattan.

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor offers service to Philadelphia, New Haven, and other points between and including Boston and Washington, D.C.

Major stations in the metropolitan area include:

The following table shows all train lines operated by these commuter railroads in the New York metropolitan area. New Jersey Transit operates an additional train line in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. (Shown counterclockwise from the Atlantic Ocean):

The following highways serve the region:

The George Washington Bridge, connecting Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan across the Hudson River to Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge.[239][240] Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge, while U.S. Route 46, which lies entirely within New Jersey, ends halfway across the bridge at the state border with New York.

The Walkway over the Hudson, the world's longest pedestrian bridge,[241] connects Ulster and Dutchess counties in New York.

The Long Island Expressway (I-495), viewing eastbound in Corona, Queens

• I-78
• I-80
• I-84
• I-87
• I-91
• I-95
• I-195
• I-278 – serves as southern beltway around New York City
• I-280
• I-287 – serves as northern beltway around New York City
• I-295
• I-478
• I-495 − also known as Long Island Expressway or LIE
• I-678
• I-684
• I-695
• I-878 – unsigned

• US 1
• US 5
• US 6
• US 7
• US 9
• US 22
• US 44
• US 46
• US 130
• US 202
• US 206
• US 209

• Route 3
• Route 4
• Route 8
• NY 9A
• Route 15
• Route 17
• Route 18
• Route 21
• Route 23
• Route 24
• Route 25
• NY 25
• Route 27
• NY 27
• Route 29
• Route 31
• Route 139
• Route 208
• NY 440 / Route 440
• Route 495
• NY 895

Heavy traffic on the Garden State Parkway in Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Some of these roads have a numerical designation assigned to it:

• Belt Parkway
• Bronx River Parkway
• Conn. Turnpike (part of I-95)
• Cross Island Parkway
• FDR Drive
• G.S. Parkway
• Grand Central Parkway
• Harlem River Drive
• Henry Hudson Parkway
• Hutchinson River Parkway
• Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly: Interboro Parkway)
• Merritt Parkway (part of Route 15)
• N.J. Turnpike (part of I-95)
• New York Thruway (part of I-87)
• Northern State Parkway
• Palisades Parkway
• Saw Mill River Parkway
• Southern State Parkway
• Sprain Brook Parkway
• Taconic State Parkway

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges,[242][243] connects Brooklyn and Staten Island across The Narrows.

The Great South Bay Bridge, in Suffolk County, connects the mainland of Long Island to barrier islands across the Great South Bay.

• Alexander Hamilton Bridge connecting the Trans-Manhattan Expressway in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan and the Cross-Bronx Expressway, as part of Interstate 95
• Basilone Bridge (part of I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike)
• Bayonne Bridge (part of NY 440 and NJ 440), underwent a $1 billion project to raise the roadway by 64 feet to 215 feet to allow taller container ships to pass underneath to access seaports in New York City and northern New Jersey.[244]
• Bear Mountain Bridge (part of US 6 and US 202)
• Bronx–Whitestone Bridge (part of I-678) – connects the boroughs of Bronx and Queens.
• Brooklyn Bridge, iconic of New York and designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. National Park Service on January 29, 1964.[245] Connects Brooklyn and lower Manhattan (at Park Row and City Hall).
• Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel (part of I-478), officially renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, in honor of the former New York State governor – connects Brooklyn and lower Manhattan (financial district).
• Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge (part of I-80 crossing the Delaware River)
• Driscoll Bridge (part of the Garden State Parkway), with a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes, the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes[246] and one of the world's busiest.
• Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (part of NY 25) – renamed in honor of former New York Mayor Edward I. Koch, also known informally as the "59th Street Bridge". Connects Queens and east side of Manhattan.
• George Washington Bridge (part of I-95 and US 1-9/46), the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge[239][240] and one of the world's widest, with 14 lanes.[246]
• Goethals Bridge (part of I-278)
• Great South Bay Bridge, Long Island
• Heroes Tunnel (formerly the West Rock Tunnel) (part of CT 15)
• Holland Tunnel (part of I-78 and NJ 139)
• Lincoln Tunnel (part of Route 495)
• Manhattan Bridge, connecting Brooklyn to Chinatown, Manhattan, carries 4 tracks of the B, ​D​, N, and ​Q trains of the New York City Subway, in addition to 7 lanes of traffic.
• Mid-Hudson Bridge (part of US 44 and NY 55)
• Newark Bay Bridge (part of I-78)
• New Hope – Lambertville Toll Bridge (part of US 202 crossing the Delaware River)
• Newburgh–Beacon Bridge (part of I-84 and NY 52)
• Otisville Tunnel (takes the Metro-North Railroad Port Jervis Line through the Shawangunk Ridge in Orange County, New York)
• Outerbridge Crossing (part of NY 440 and NJ 440)
• Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (part of I-95 and the Connecticut Turnpike)
• Poughkeepsie Bridge, also known as Walkway over the Hudson, the world's longest pedestrian bridge,[241] connecting Ulster and Dutchess counties in New York
• Pulaski Skyway (part of US 1–9)
• Queens–Midtown Tunnel (part of I-495) – connects Queens and Midtown Manhattan.
• Scudder Falls Bridge (part of I-295 crossing the Delaware River)
• Sikorsky Memorial Bridge (part of CT 15 Merritt & Wilbur Cross Parkways)
• Tappan Zee Bridge (part of I-87, I-287, and the New York State Thruway), the longest bridge in New York State; underwent a $4 billion replacement.[247]
• Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Bridge (part of US 9)
• Throgs Neck Bridge (part of I-295) – connects the boroughs of Bronx and Queens (at western end of Long Island Sound).
• Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge (part of US 1)
• Triborough Bridge (part of I-278), officially renamed the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Bridge – connects the three boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx and Queens (hence its name).
• Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (part of I-278), the longest suspension bridge in the Americas and one of the longest in the world (formerly the world's longest) – connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn.[242][243]
• William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge (part of I-280)
• Williamsburg Bridge, carries 2 tracks of the J, M, and Z​ trains of the New York City Subway, in addition to 8 lanes of traffic – connects Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the Lower East Side or Manhattan.

New Jersey Transit, Academy Bus, Coach USA, Spanish Transportation, Trailways of New York, and several other companies operate commuter coaches into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and many other bus services in New Jersey. Bus services also operate in other nearby counties in the states of New York and Connecticut, but most terminate at a subway terminal or other rail station.

The AirTrain at JFK International Airport in Jamaica, Queens

The three busiest airports in the New York metropolitan area include John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport; 130.5 million travelers used these three airports in 2016, and the metropolitan area's airspace is the busiest in the nation.[19]

The following smaller airports are also in the metro area and provide daily commercial service:

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, 54.3% (5,476,169) of commuters used a car or other private vehicle alone, 7.0% (708,788) used a carpool, 27.0% (2,721,372) used public transportation, 5.5% (558,434) walked to work, 2.0% (200,448) used some other means of transportation such as a bicycle to get to work.[248]

New York is home to the headquarters of the National Football League,[263] Major League Baseball,[264] the National Basketball Association,[265] the National Hockey League,[266] and Major League Soccer.[267] Four of the ten most expensive stadiums ever built worldwide (MetLife Stadium, the new Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and Citi Field) are located in the New York metropolitan area.[250] The New York metropolitan area has the highest total number of professional sports teams in these five leagues.

Listing of the professional sports teams in the New York metropolitan area:

• National Basketball Association (NBA)
  • Brooklyn Nets (Brooklyn, New York City)
  • New York Knicks (Manhattan, New York City)
• National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC (Harrison, New Jersey)
• Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
  • New York Liberty (Brooklyn, New York City)
• Major League Baseball (MLB)
  • New York Mets (Queens, New York City)
  • New York Yankees (The Bronx, New York City)
• Major League Soccer (MLS)
  • New York City FC (The Bronx, New York City)
  • New York Red Bulls (Harrison, New Jersey)
• Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
  • Eastern League (AA)
    • Trenton Thunder (Yankees) (Trenton, New Jersey)
  • South Atlantic League (A)
    • Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies) (Lakewood Township, New Jersey)
  • New York-Penn League (SS)
    • Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) (Brooklyn, New York City)
    • Hudson Valley Renegades (Rays) (Fishkill, New York)
    • Staten Island Yankees (Yankees) (Staten Island, New York City)
• Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
  • Bridgeport Bluefish (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
  • Long Island Ducks (Central Islip, New York)
  • Somerset Patriots (Bridgewater Township, New Jersey)
• Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (CanAm League)
  • New Jersey Jackals (Little Falls, New Jersey)
  • Newark Bears (Newark, New Jersey)
  • Rockland Boulders (Pomona, New York)
• National Football League (NFL)
  • New York Giants (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
  • New York Jets (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
• XFL
  • New York Guardians (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
• National Hockey League (NHL)
  • New Jersey Devils (Newark, New Jersey)
  • New York Islanders (Elmont, New York)
  • New York Rangers (Manhattan, New York City)
• American Hockey League (AHL)
  • Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
• Major League Lacrosse (outdoor) (MLL)
  • New York Lizards (Hempstead, New York)
• North American Rugby League (NARL)
  • New York City Rugby League (Harrison, New Jersey)
• College Sports (NCAA Division I)
  • Army Black Knights (West Point, New York)
  • Columbia University Lions (Manhattan, New York City)
  • Fairfield University Stags (Fairfield, Connecticut)
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights (Teaneck, New Jersey)
  • Fordham University Rams (The Bronx, New York City)
  • Hofstra University Pride (Hempstead, New York)
  • Iona College Gaels (New Rochelle, New York)
  • Long Island University Blackbirds (Brooklyn, New York City)
  • Manhattan College Jaspers and Lady Jaspers (The Bronx, New York City)
  • Marist College Red Foxes (Poughkeepsie, New York)
  • Monmouth University Hawks (West Long Branch, New Jersey)
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders (Newark, New Jersey)
  • Princeton University Tigers (Princeton, New Jersey)
  • Quinnipiac University Bobcats (Hamden, Connecticut)
  • Rider University Broncs (Lawrenceville, New Jersey)
  • Rutgers University Scarlet Knights (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
  • Sacred Heart University Pioneers (Fairfield, Connecticut)
  • St. Peter's University Peacocks and Peahens (Jersey City, New Jersey)
  • St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (Brooklyn, New York City)
  • St. John's University Red Storm (Queens, New York City)
  • Seton Hall University Pirates (South Orange, New Jersey)
  • Stony Brook University Seawolves (Stony Brook, New York)
  • Wagner College Seahawks (Staten Island, New York City)
  • Yale University Bulldogs (New Haven, Connecticut)

The New York metropolitan area is home to the headquarters of several well-known media companies, subsidiaries, and publications, including Thomson Reuters, The New York Times Company, the Associated Press, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, the Hearst Corporation, ViacomCBS, News Corporation, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Local television channels broadcasting to the New York market include WCBS-TV 2 (CBS), WNBC 4 (NBC), WNYW 5 (FOX), WABC-TV 7 (ABC), WWOR-TV 9 (MyNetworkTV), WPIX 11 (CW), WNET 13 (PBS), WNYE-TV 25 (NYC Media) and WPXN-TV 31 (Ion). NY1 is a 24/7 local news provider available only to cable television subscribers. Radio stations serving the area include: WNYC, WKCR, WFMU, WABC-AM, and WFAN. Many television and radio stations use the top of the Empire State Building to broadcast their terrestrial television signals, while some media entities broadcast from studios in Times Square.

The New York metropolitan area is extensive enough so that its own channels must compete with channels from neighboring television markets (including Philadelphia, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Hartford) within its outlying counties. Cable companies offer such competition in the Pennsylvania portion, Connecticut, and a few counties in central New Jersey.

Coney Island, in Brooklyn, is considered one of America's first amusement parks.

Playland, Rye, Westchester County

Legoland New York, in Goshen, Orange County opened in 2021.

Plans were unveiled by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on September 27, 2012, for the New York Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel, to be built at the northern shore of Staten Island, overlooking the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and the Lower Manhattan skyline.[270]