About one fifth of New York City’s residents in 1700 were enslaved, roughly 20% of the population.

Quick Scoop: 1700 New York City and Slavery

In 1700, New York City was deeply entangled in the Atlantic slave economy, even though it was a northern port city. Enslaved Africans and their descendants made up a substantial share of the urban workforce, especially in domestic service, construction, and waterfront labor.

So, what portion was enslaved?

Most historical summaries of colonial New York indicate that:

  • Around 20% of the city’s population in 1700 were enslaved people.
  • That means about 1 in every 5 residents in New York City at that time was enslaved.
  • A large share of households owned at least one enslaved person; some estimates note that over 40% of households in New York City had enslaved laborers in the early 18th century.

Put simply: in a street of 10 houses, it would have been common for 4 or more of those households to hold people in bondage, and about one in five people you passed on a busy street might be enslaved.

Why historians focus on this number

Historians use that ~20% figure to highlight that:

  • Slavery was not just a Southern institution ; New York was one of the largest slaveholding centers in the North.
  • Enslaved labor was central to New York’s economy , including its shipping, building trades, and domestic life.
  • The city’s early wealth and infrastructure grew in part from coerced labor and the slave trade.

A common classroom framing is that New York City’s enslaved share was “comparable to some Southern urban centers,” challenging the myth of a “free North” in the colonial era.

Mini Timeline context

  • Late 1600s : Dutch and then English authorities encourage importation of enslaved Africans to support port and construction labor.
  • By 1700 : Enslaved people are about 20% of New York City’s population, and strict laws control their movement, gathering, and worship.
  • Early–mid 1700s : Slave markets operate near what is now Wall Street; laws tighten after fears of uprisings and alleged plots.

This context helps explain how a “northern” city could have such a high proportion of enslaved residents so early in its history.

Quick HTML fact table

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Year</th>
      <th>Location</th>
      <th>Estimated portion enslaved</th>
      <th>Key notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>1700</td>
      <td>New York City</td>
      <td>About 20% of residents</td>
      <td>Major northern slaveholding port; enslaved labor central to economy.[web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Early 1700s</td>
      <td>New York City households</td>
      <td>Over 40% of households owned at least one enslaved person</td>
      <td>Ownership more common in urban households than many people assume today.[web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR:
In 1700 New York City, roughly one in five residents —about 20% of the population —were enslaved, and more than two in five households held at least one enslaved person.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.