New York: A Statistical Snapshot
By Olivia Majesky-Pullmann
With a population of 19 million, the state of New York is known for many things, one being its ethnic diversity. And as the chart below illustrates, the state has a higher percentage of most minority groups, with the exception of American Indians and Native Hawaiians, than the rest of the United States.
As far as educational attainment, New York ranks 35th and 13th, respectively, in the country for the percentage of its population 25 years and older that have obtained a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree or higher. New York has remained relatively steady in both categories since the late 1980s.
In terms of test scores, all minority groups overall score lower in the three sections of the SAT than the national mean. The exceptions: Black students in New York score higher than the national mean on the critical reading and math sections. And the mean state score for White students is one point higher than the U.S. mean.
Another interesting fact, because of its diversity, New York has a higher percentage of Black, Hispanic, Asian and women-owned businesses than the national average, according to the U.S. Census.
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