Here's Where The Upper East Side Grew, Shrank Since 2010

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The 2020 Census made it clear that the Upper East Side is growing. An analysis by Patch shows where, exactly, that growth took place.

As a whole, the Upper East Side's population grew by more than 12,000 people since 2010, according to the new data. That growth was distributed unevenly, however, with the white and Black populations both decreasing while the number of Asian, multiracial and Latino residents rose.

Examining the Upper East Side's census tracts gives a nearly block-level view of those changes. Across the neighborhood, most tracts gained population in the past decade, though several got smaller.

Zoom in on the map below and click each tract to see the population changes since 2010.

Growth was concentrated along the center of the neighborhood, the map shows, in the corridors that include Firsts, Second and Third avenues.

Areas that lost population include three tracts along Central Park that span between Fifth and Park avenues, as well as a stretch east of First Avenue in the lower sixties.

New housing aligns with growth

Unsurprisingly, some parts of the Upper East Side that grew significantly appear to have been spurred by new housing construction.

The census tract that gained the most residents in the past decade runs between East 86th and 89th streets, bounded by Third and First avenues. It also gained 164 homes since 2010, census data shows.

Big developments recently completed in that area include the 82-unit "Citizen360" building on East 89th Street and First Avenue, which opened in 2017.

The tract with the most housing growth, however, was further south: an area between East 69th and 74th streets, east of First Avenue, where 454 new homes came online since 2010.

Meanwhile, the tract that lost the most people also lost the most housing units. The area east of First Avenue between 63rd and 69th streets lost 280 people and 283 homes since 2010, the census found.

What caused the loss isn't immediately clear. This winter, a city report found that the Upper East Side's stagnant housing growth had been caused by large numbers of demolitions and mergers of existing apartments.

This is part of a series of articles breaking down insights from the 2020 Census on the Upper East Side. To stay on top of future installments, subscribe to the newsletter from Upper East Side Patch.