Most coverage of a changing neighborhood runs on anecdote: a new coffee shop, a longer subway wait, a building that wasn’t there last year. This series tries something more durable about HPS and LIC.
Using Census Bureau estimates and other public data going back to 2010, each piece follows a single number, population, income, education, commuting, all the way through, to see what the underlying data says instead of what it feels like.
A Neighborhood Built in Three Eras
Building age data tells three different stories in Long Island City depending on where you live. One legacy district, and two new districts.
Share of housing units built 2010 or later, by census block group. Click any area for the full decade breakdown.
Industrial block groups (Tracts 1.03, 1.04) shown with hatching — excluded from residential analysis. Data: ACS 5-Year Estimates 2024, B25034.
Long Island City Has a 50-Point Education Gap With the Rest of Queens
85% of LIC residents hold a college degree. The borough average is 36%. And the education gap has been widening since 2012.
9 in 10 Residents Don’t Drive Alone to Work
Hunters Point South and Long Island City have always been one of the most car-free communities in New York City. Sixty-four percent of households own no car at all.
Over 14 Years, Incomes Here Rose Sharply
Median household income in the neighborhood’s residential core climbed steadily from 2010 to 2024, far outpacing the citywide rate.
Working From Home Reshaped This Neighborhood’s Weekday
Census data shows how many residents here stopped commuting altogether, and what that’s done to foot traffic on weekdays.
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