Monsey, New York

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Monsey had a population of 26,954. The median age was 15.7 years. 55.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 6.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.0 males age 18 and over.^[13][14]

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.^[15]

There were 5,002 households in Monsey, of which 69.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 84.2% were married-couple households, 6.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 8.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 6.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[13]

There were 5,302 housing units, of which 5.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.3%.^[13]

2000 census

There were 2,981 households, out of which 58.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.9% were non-families. 10.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.74 and the average family size was 5.16. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 48.6% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 19 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,194, and the median income for a family was $45,911. Males had a median income of $41,606 versus $33,576 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,000. About 25.4% of families and 30.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.8% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Languages

43.98% speak English at home, 41.48% Yiddish, 6.88% Hebrew, 2.69% French or a French creole, 1.85% Spanish, and 1.24% Russian.^[17]

Jewish community

Monsey is a major center of Orthodox Judaism in the United States, along with several other cities such as Kiryas Joel, Kaser, Spring Valley, and New Square. It is the largest center of Hasidic Judaism in the U.S. outside New York City, with approximately 5,400 households (4.2% of the world's Hasidic population).^[18] The migration to Monsey began in the late 1940s when New York City's Orthodox Jews were seeking affordable real estate for their quickly growing communities. These spaces offered the possibility of moving en masse and establishing enclaves where they could lead lives based on halakha (Jewish religious law) without coming into regular conflict with non-Orthodox neighbors. This represented a major, distinct suburban demographic shift for these communities.^[19] Major Hasidic sects represented in Monsey include Satmar, Vizhnitz Monsey, Sanz and Belz, with the rebbes of Berditchev, Lizensk, Lizensk (Rokeah), Nikolsburg, Sambor Yerushalayim-Monsey, Sassov, Shinave, Spinka Monsey, and Stanislov sects residing in the community.^[18] Vizhnitz maintains a cemetery in Monsey.^[20]

On December 28, 2019, Monsey was the site of a mass stabbing in the home of a Hasidic rebbe of the Kosonyu sect who was hosting a Hanukkah party, leaving four injured and one dead.^[21][22]