Whites, Asians and other racial groups comprise a small minority.

[4] The district was a Brooklyn-based seat until 1982, when it was realigned to cover the East Side of Manhattan.

From 2003 to 2013 it was composed of Upper Manhattan, Rikers Island and a largely non-residential section of northwestern Queens on the shore of the East River mostly occupied by a Consolidated Edison facility and a New York Power Authority power plant.

The district included the neighborhoods of Harlem, Inwood, Marble Hill, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and portions of Manhattan that included Apollo Theater, Columbia University, and Grant's Tomb.

Certain parties will invariably endorse either the Republican or Democratic candidate for every office, hence the state electoral results contain both the party votes, and the final candidate votes (Listed as "Recap").