Market Research Companies in New York

Key figures for researchers

Population (city)

8.58 million in the five boroughs (July 2025 estimate)¹

Boroughs

Brooklyn 2.65m, Queens 2.36m, Manhattan 1.66m, Bronx 1.41m, Staten Island 0.50m (July 2025)¹

Population (metro area)

19.94 million in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, New York and New Jersey (2024)³

Official geography

5 boroughs and 59 community districts⁵

Hispanic, White, Black, Asian

Hispanic or Latino 28.5%, White alone not Hispanic 31.0%, Black alone 21.9%, Asian alone 14.7% (Census QuickFacts, 2025 release)²

Born outside the US

36.6% of residents (2020–2024)²

Language other than English at home

47.7% of residents aged 5+ (2020–2024)²

Limited English

about 22% of New Yorkers; most common languages: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bangla (MOIA, 2024 report)⁶

Households

3.33 million, 2.48 people on average; 32.8% of homes owner-occupied (2020–2024)²

Internet

90.5% of households have a broadband subscription (2020–2024)²

Research guide

Research landscape

New York hosts a large and varied research industry: full-service agencies, qualitative specialists, B2B and healthcare firms, panel and sample providers, recruiters and focus group facilities.

Be clear about the area you mean. New York City is the five boroughs, with about 8.58 million people in July 2025, while the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area has 19.94 million and extends into New Jersey. Brooklyn (2.65 million) and Queens (2.36 million) are the most populous boroughs, ahead of Manhattan (1.66 million), the Bronx (1.41 million) and Staten Island (0.50 million), so a “Manhattan only” sample does not represent New Yorkers.

Who you will interview

New York is very mixed: about 28.5% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, 31.0% White non-Hispanic, 21.9% Black and 14.7% Asian. 36.6% were born outside the United States, most often in the Dominican Republic, China and Jamaica, and 47.7% of residents aged five and over speak a language other than English at home. The median age is 38.5.

About 22% of New Yorkers have limited English proficiency. Almost 75% of foreign-born residents with limited English speak one of four languages: Spanish, Chinese (including Mandarin and other dialects), Russian or Bangla. For studies that must reflect the whole city, set quotas on borough, Hispanic origin, race and age using New York figures, and plan translated questionnaires and bilingual interviewers or moderators, at least in Spanish and Chinese.

Fieldwork in practice

The city is divided into 5 boroughs and 59 community districts (12 in the Bronx, 18 in Brooklyn, 12 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens and 3 on Staten Island). Borough and community district are the usual units for sampling and quotas.

New York is a city of renters: only 32.8% of homes are owner-occupied, and many people live in apartment buildings with doormen or entry systems. Door-to-door and address-based studies therefore need more contact attempts and time; 9.6% of residents moved in the previous year. Online is the main method for consumer surveys (90.5% of households have a broadband subscription), with telephone or in-person interviews for older, offline or limited-English respondents.

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person groups are usually held in dedicated viewing facilities with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Respondents from the outer boroughs or the suburbs may need more travel time, so check the facility’s access by subway and rail when scheduling evening groups. Online interviews and communities are widely used, especially for B2B and senior respondents.

Two local rules are worth knowing. New York State’s SHIELD Act, in effect since 21 March 2020, applies to any person or business that owns or licenses private information of a New York resident, including biometric information: it requires reasonable safeguards and breach notification, with penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. In the city, a 2021 local law requires commercial establishments that collect biometric identifier information from customers to post a notice at customer entrances, and prohibits the sale of such data: check it before using cameras with face or voice analysis in stores or venues.

Timing

Avoid Thanksgiving, the Christmas and New Year period and the summer holiday season for B2B targets, as in the rest of the country. For studies with parents or children, follow the New York City Public Schools calendar: in 2026–27, school runs from 10 September 2026 to 28 June 2027, with recesses for Thanksgiving (26–27 November), winter (24 December–1 January), midwinter (15–19 February) and spring (22–30 April).

Schools also close for Yom Kippur (21 September 2026), Eid al-Fitr (9 March 2027) and Eid al-Adha (17 May 2027). Jewish holidays matter in some neighbourhoods and for many B2B respondents: in 2027, Rosh Hashanah falls on 2–3 October and Yom Kippur on 11 October.

Working with a New York agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, boroughs or metro area, method, languages (English, Spanish, Chinese and others) and deadline.
• Ask how the agency spreads interviews across the five boroughs and reaches renters, immigrant communities and limited-English residents.
• For focus groups, ask for the facility address, transport access, viewing room capacity, streaming options and incentive levels.
• Agree how personal data and recordings are protected under the SHIELD Act, and whether any biometric analysis is planned.
• Check the school calendar and Jewish and Muslim holidays before setting fieldwork dates.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 New York companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in the United States.