What this is
Each line on the graphic takes one figure about New York City and finds a place or thing somewhere else whose comparable figure comes in at about the same number. The point is scale, so pairs are chosen for closeness first and familiarity second.
Two kinds of comparison
70 of the 83 lines compare the same measure on both sides: subway riders against another city's subway riders, street trees against another city's street trees, Medicaid enrollment against a state's Medicaid enrollment, fire hydrants against another city's hydrants, dollars against dollars. These are the informative pairings, because both numbers were produced to measure the same thing.
The remaining 13 compare a New York City count against a population or a length, which carries no information about the measure and works only as a sense of magnitude. Every one of them is there because a same-measure comparison was searched for and missed. Three are deliberate distance comparisons rather than populations: sidewalks against the Great Wall, sewers against the width of the Earth, bike lanes against the Colorado River.
These same-measure comparisons were checked and missed. No other American city's shelter system approaches New York City's: even California's entire sheltered homeless count, 66,351, falls 21 percent short, and Massachusetts, with a right to shelter, has 26,563. No state's cash-assistance caseload fits, because New York City's figure blends federal and state-only programmes that federal data does not count together. No park anywhere draws Central Park's 42 million: the National Mall, at about 32 million, is the closest. No city's 311 system comes near New York City's 3.66 million requests; Chicago, the closest, is 46 percent below. Madrid's buses carry 512 million riders against New York City Transit's 442 million, 16 percent too many. Ireland has the most street lighting of anywhere checked at 480,000 against nearly 400,000, still 20 percent off. London licenses 105,607 private-hire drivers against New York City's 180,334. New South Wales ambulances answered 1.4 million calls against the Fire Department's 1.62 million incidents, and the two count differently. Barcelona's international visitor total had to be derived from two separate figures rather than read off a page, so it was not used.
How the pairs were made
Every number on both sides had to come from a page that was fetched during the research, and the exact words on that page containing the number are quoted below. Numbers that could not be fetched with a verbatim quote were left out, even when they were widely reported. Primary sources were preferred: the Census Bureau, city agencies and the Mayor's Management Report, transit operators, the city and state comptrollers, the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook database for national GDP, the World Bank's population interface and national statistics offices.
The ratio on each line is the comparison figure divided by the New York City figure. The bar on the graphic draws New York City at full width and the comparison at that ratio. Gaps are shown to one decimal place under 2 percent and rounded otherwise.
What does not line up
Years differ on some lines because agencies publish on different schedules; each entry gives the year on both sides. National GDP figures for 2025 are IMF estimates in nominal dollars at market exchange rates, which move with currencies, and borough economies are pinned to 2024 because county figures lag about two years. Some city figures are rounded on the source page and the ratio is taken against the round number. Definitions are noted where they differ: filled jobs rather than authorised posts, lane miles rather than centreline miles, homicides rather than murders, a fiscal-year average rather than a point-in-time count, a metropolitan area or a county rather than a city.
How to check it
Three Census Bureau links need a free API key to return data; the same tables are readable without one on data.census.gov and Census Reporter. The International Monetary Fund link serves one large file of every country; search it for the three-letter country code. Follow the two links in any entry and search the page for the quoted words. The map pins each comparison at its capital, its city, or the thing itself. Country outlines are Natural Earth 1:110m via the world-atlas package.
Every pairing, with its sources
1 New York City has as many people as Switzerland
People · ratio 1.063 (Switzerland ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 8.58 million (July 1, 2025 (Census Vintage 2025)). Source: Total population
New York city, New York, Total Population, 8,584,629
- Definitions and caveats
- Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate for New York City as of July 1, 2025, against Switzerland's provisional permanent resident population at Dec. 31, 2025, published by the Federal Statistical Office and republished by the Swiss foreign ministry. Virginia (8.88 million, ratio 1.034) is the closer U.S. state.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures appear on their pages and 9,127,100 / 8,584,629 = 1.063. Reference dates differ by six months (July 1 vs Dec 31, 2025), which is immaterial at this ratio.
2 New York City has as many foreign-born residents as Los Angeles County
People · ratio 1.068 (Los Angeles County ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures are the same Census Bureau table and year: American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates, table B05002, variable B05002_013E ('Foreign-born'), queried for New York city and for Los Angeles County. This also confirms the City Planning Department's rounded 3.1 million. Armenia's population (3.10 million) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Census ACS 1-year 2024 API returns foreign-born population of 3,108,115 for New York city and 3,317,967 for Los Angeles County, exactly matching both figures. Ratio 3317967/3108115=1.068 checks out; the claim correctly labels the comparison as the county, not the city of Los Angeles.
3 New York City has as many students in its district schools as Colorado has in all its public schools
People · ratio 1.098 (Colorado ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Comparison figure
- 870,793 (2025-26). Source: Every public school student in Colorado
The data shows a total of 870,793 pre-K-12th grade students enrolled in Colorado schools, a decrease of 1.2 % compared to fall 2024.
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Education preliminary 2025-26 K-12 district enrollment, as reported by City Journal quoting the department; Colorado Department of Education's 2025-26 enrollment release. Counting New York City's charter schools and pre-K would put the city well above Colorado. North Dakota's population (799,358) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures appear as stated and the ratio (870793/793300=1.098) checks out, but the two counts are not defined the same way: New York City's 793,300 is K-12 only, while Colorado's 870,793 explicitly includes pre-K. New York City's own pre-K enrollment is not folded in, so the gap between the two places is smaller than a pure K-12 comparison would suggest.
4 New York City has as many babies born each year as Sweden
People · ratio 0.991 (Sweden ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 98,389 (2023) (2023). Source: Annual live births
There were 98,389 live births in 2023, representing a 1.1% decrease from 2022.
- Comparison figure
- 97,500 (2025) (2025). Source: Sweden, annual births
In 2025, 97 500 children were born, which was the lowest number of births in 23 years.
- Definitions and caveats
- New York City Health Department 2023 Summary of Vital Statistics; Statistics Sweden's 2025 population statistics. City births have been falling about 1 percent a year, so the two figures are probably even closer today.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 97,500 / 98,389 = 0.991. The two figures are two years apart (New York City 2023, Sweden 2025) and the Swedish number is rounded to the nearest hundred in the release.
5 New York City has as many people on the city payroll as Texas has state employees
People · ratio 1.033 (Texas ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 291,717 (April 2026). Source: City employees on the New York City payroll
As of April 2026, the City employed 291,717 active full-time workers, largely unchanged from March and down from 292,483 at the start of the Mamdani Administration in January.
- Definitions and caveats
- Actual full-time employees in April 2026 from the city Comptroller, against full-time state government employment for Texas in the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll. This replaces a comparison with Pittsburgh's population. New York State's own government, at 238,904, is 18 percent smaller than the city payroll.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verify exactly against their sources. The caveat discloses that the Census survey reflects a March 2025 payroll, but doesn't spell out that the NYC figure is 13 months newer (April 2026) -- a wider gap than the caveat's wording implies. No 2026 Census survey data exists yet, so this is the most current federal figure available.
6 New York City houses as many people in public housing and its converted successors as live in Cleveland
People · ratio 1.055 (Cleveland ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 344,661 (2025 fact sheet). Source: NYCHA public housing residents (Section 9 + PACT, authorized)
NYCHA serves 298,206 authorized residents in 152,926 apartments within 243 housing developments through the conventional public housing program (Section 9). NYCHA also serves 46,455 authorized residents in 24,639 apartments within 92 developments that have been converted
- Comparison figure
- 363,608 (July 1, 2025 (Census Vintage 2025)). Source: Cleveland, Ohio
363,608
- Definitions and caveats
- Sum of two figures on the New York City Housing Authority's 2025 fact sheet: 298,206 authorized residents in conventional public housing and 46,455 in developments converted under PACT/RAD. Cleveland is the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate as tabulated by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 344,661 does not appear on the page; it is 298,206 + 46,455, conventional public housing plus PACT/RAD developments, and 363,608 / 344,661 = 1.055. The counts are 'authorized residents' from a January 2025 fact sheet, and PACT/RAD units have been converted to Section 8 with private management, so 'public housing' is a stretch for that 46,455.
7 New York City shelters as many homeless people each night as Andorra has people
People · ratio 0.990 (Andorra ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 83,781 (Sept. 2, 2026 (report dated 9/3/2026)). Source: People in Department of Homeless Services shelters
DAILY REPORT 9/3/2026 Data from Wednesday, September 2, 2026 ... TOTAL SHELTER CENSUS Adults 55534 Children 28247 Total Individuals 83781
- Comparison figure
- 82,904 (2025). Source: Population of Andorra
AND 2025 82904 (World Bank population series; 2024: 81,938, 2023: 80,856, 2022: 79,705)
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Homeless Services daily report dated Sept. 3, 2026, covering the night of Sept. 2. The report at that address is replaced each day, so a reader following the link will see a different night's count. Andorra's population is the World Bank's 2025 figure; Andorra's own statistics department was reported as giving a figure about 7 percent higher, and its site is a JavaScript portal that could not be read to confirm.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The NYC figure is from DHS's live daily report (essentially real-time, dated the day before this check) and matches exactly. Andorra's figure is the country's official year-end 2025 estimate. Both are current and correct. Andorra's replacement figure was pulled live from the World Bank series (82,904 for 2025).
What was changed: Re-sourced to the World Bank's 2025 population for Andorra, verified live, after the figure from Andorra's own department could not be confirmed and differed by 7 percent.
8 New York City had as many marathon finishers in 2025 as London
People · ratio 0.956 (London ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 59,226 (2025 race). Source: NYC Marathon finishers
The nonprofit organization announced Monday that 59,226 runners finished the race, topping last year's marathon record of 55,646 by more than 3,500 racers.
- Comparison figure
- 56,640 (2025 race). Source: TCS London Marathon finishers
the 2025 TCS London Marathon has broken the record title for the Largest number of finishers in a marathon with a total of 56,640
- Definitions and caveats
- New York Road Runners' count for the Nov. 2, 2025 race, as reported by Running USA; London Marathon Events' own announcement for its April 2025 race. London set the world record for the largest marathon in April and New York took it back in November. Anfield's capacity was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both finisher counts match the cited pages exactly, and 56640/59226=0.956 matches the stated ratio.
9 New York City has as many residents 65 and older as Los Angeles County
People · ratio 1.059 (Los Angeles County ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 1.49 million (2024 American Community Survey, one-year estimate). Source: New York City residents 65 and older
["New York city, New York","8478072","1486853","36","51000"]
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures are the same Census Bureau table and year: American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates, subject table S0101, variable S0101_C01_030E ('65 years and over'), queried for New York city and for Los Angeles County. This is more current than the State Comptroller's 1.43 million for 2023, which the earlier version of this line used against Estonia's population.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Census ACS 1-year 2024 subject table returns 1,486,853 residents 65+ for New York city and 1,575,175 for Los Angeles County, exactly matching both figures and the 1.059 ratio; the claim correctly names the county rather than the city of Los Angeles.
10 New York City has as many college students as all of Massachusetts
People · ratio 0.932 (Massachusetts ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- 468,960 (fall 2022). Source: Every college student in Massachusetts
Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by state or jurisdiction ... Massachusetts ... 468,960 (2022)
- Definitions and caveats
- New York City Economic Development Corporation's November 2024 report on academia, against total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions in Massachusetts from the federal Digest of Education Statistics. This replaces a comparison with Cabo Verde's population. Massachusetts's own 2017 enrollment was 503,539, almost exactly New York City's figure today.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both numbers verify exactly. The Massachusetts figure is genuinely stale (fall 2022, now roughly four years old) and NCES appears to have stopped publishing per-state breakdowns in this specific table series since the 2022 data year, so this is the most current version available -- the caveat is accurate. The NYCEDC report's footnotes don't specify which year's federal enrollment data underlies its 503,000 figure, so the caveat's implication that NYC's count is more current ("a 2024 count") could not be independently verified from the source itself.
11 New York City employs as many public school teachers as all of Ireland
People · ratio 0.990 (Ireland ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- over 77,000 (fiscal 2025). Source: New York City public school teachers
NYCPS employs over 77,000 teachers in over 1,800 district schools in 32 school districts.
- Comparison figure
- 76,223 (2023/24 school year). Source: Teaching posts in all of Ireland
In 2023/24 there were 76,223 posts allocated across primary, special and post-primary schools, a 13.9% increase since 2019.
- Definitions and caveats
- Mayor's Management Report, fiscal 2025, against the Irish Department of Education's July 2025 education indicators for the 2023/24 school year. An earlier version of this line used Ireland's 2022 figure of 74,073, which an audit flagged as four years stale, and carried a caveat saying Ireland had probably overtaken New York City since. A later check found that claim unsupported, because the city's own teacher count has been rising too: a February 2026 city report puts New York City schools at about 81,000 teachers as of October 2025. Both sides are growing, and on the figures each publishes they remain close.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures confirmed exactly. The caveat correctly flags the FTE-vs-headcount unit mismatch. Ireland's 2023/24 figure is the latest published (report issued June 2025), so no more current number was available to substitute.
12 New York City has as many people on Medicaid as all of Florida
People · ratio 0.999 (Florida ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 3.58 million (July 2026). Source: Medicaid enrollees living in New York City
Enrollment by County July 2026 Total Enrollment 6,374,641 NYC Enrollment 3,575,764 (56.1% of total) Rest of State Enrollment 2,798,878 (43.9% of total)
- Comparison figure
- 3.57 million (April 2026). Source: Everyone on Medicaid in Florida
["Florida","3695306","3571613","-0.0335"] under block "Apr 2026", columns ["","Pre-ACA Average Monthly Enrollment","Total Monthly Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment","Percent Change"]
- Definitions and caveats
- New York State Department of Health enrollment by residential county, July 2026, against Florida's total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment as tabulated by KFF from federal data. This replaces a comparison with Utah's population. Both sides now count people enrolled in Medicaid.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verify exactly and both are recent (July 2026 and April 2026 respectively). The caveat correctly discloses the three-month gap between the two snapshots.
13 New York City has as many people on food stamps as all of Illinois
People · ratio 1.033 (Illinois ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 1.63 million (July 2026). Source: SNAP recipients in New York City
SNAP Recipients 1,632,084 1,678,196 1,787,477 1,708,727 (columns: JULY 2026, JUNE 2026, JULY 2025, JULY 2021)
- Comparison figure
- 1.69 million (March 2026 (initial)). Source: SNAP participants in all of Illinois
Illinois 1,905,151 [Mar 2025] 1,693,396 [Feb 2026 Preliminary] 1,685,958 [Mar 2026 Initial] -0.4% -11.5%
- Definitions and caveats
- Human Resources Administration HRA Facts for July 2026; Illinois participation in March 2026 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's state SNAP tables. Phoenix's population (1.67 million) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures match the sources exactly and 1685958/1632084=1.033 checks out, but they are not from the same month: New York City's count is July 2026 while Illinois's is March 2026 and is itself labeled 'Initial' (preliminary, subject to revision). SNAP rolls were falling quickly in this period (Illinois alone dropped from 1.91 million to 1.69 million in a year), so a four-month lag matters.
14 New York City records as many deaths a year as Slovakia
People · ratio 0.976 (Slovakia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 55,459 (2023) (2023). Source: Deaths in New York City in a year
Table PC3. Marriages, Births, Deaths, and Infant Deaths by Month and Average per Day, New York City, 2023 ... Total 70,244 98,389 55,459 414 (Marriages, Births, Deaths, Infant Deaths)
- Definitions and caveats
- Health Department 2023 Summary of Vital Statistics, Table PC3; Eurostat deaths series for Slovakia, 2023. Denmark (58,384) is the alternate.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 54,133 / 55,459 = 0.976 and both are 2023. The New York City total counts deaths occurring in the city, including 4,549 non-residents, while the Eurostat figure counts Slovak residents; resident-only New York City deaths would be about 50,900.
15 New York City has as many residents with a disability as Virginia
People · ratio 0.962 (Virginia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures come from the same Census Bureau table, variable and year: American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates, subject table S1810, queried for New York city and for every state. This replaces a comparison with Montana's population. Washington (1,083,349) and Tennessee (1,058,522) were the next closest.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures verify exactly against the same Census table and vintage (2024 ACS 1-year estimates), which is the most current available. The caveat's "civilian, non-institutional population on both sides" description matches what S1810 measures.
16 New York City has as many people on cash assistance as Baltimore has people
People · ratio 1.019 (Baltimore ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 559,129 (July 2026). Source: Cash assistance recipients in New York City
CASH ASSISTANCE JULY 2026 JUNE 2026 JULY 2025 JULY 2021 559,129 566,510 602,894 368,804 Recurring Assistance 551,980 561,004 596,278 366,358
- Definitions and caveats
- Human Resources Administration's HRA Facts for July 2026, monthly unduplicated recipients; Baltimore population from the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 city estimates file.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures appear exactly and 1,665,481 / 1,632,084 = 1.020. 'Food stamps' is the plain-English name for SNAP recipients, July 2026.
17 New York City has a city budget the size of the Dominican Republic's economy
Money · ratio 1.016 (Dominican Republic ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $125.8 billion (FY2027 (adopted June 30, 2026)). Source: NYC adopted budget, FY2027
The Adopted Budget for FY 2027 totals $125.84 billion.
- Definitions and caveats
- Adopted budget for fiscal 2027 per the city Comptroller; International Monetary Fund estimate of the Dominican Republic's 2025 nominal GDP from the WEO datamapper. Puerto Rico ($126.5 billion) is closer still but is a U.S. territory whose GDP is inflated by pharmaceutical transfer pricing.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 127.895 / 125.84 = 1.016. The comparison is a FY2027 (July 2026-June 2027) budget against the Dominican Republic's 2025 GDP; the IMF's 2026 estimate is $136.1 billion (ratio 1.08). The IMF API returns 403 to curl and was read through WebFetch.
18 New York City has an economy the size of Indonesia's
Money · ratio 1.013 (Indonesia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $1.38 trillion (2024). Source: NYC GDP (five boroughs, BEA county GDP summed)
Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in New York County, NY — 1,006,673,239 (thousands of dollars, 2024); Kings 145,934,266 (GDPALL36047); Queens 143,131,298 (GDPALL36081); Bronx 58,323,409 (GDPALL36005); Richmond 23,779,286 (GDPALL36085)
- Comparison figure
- $1.40 trillion (2024). Source: GDP of Indonesia
"IDN":{..."2024":1396.302...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Sum of the Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 GDP for the five counties (New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, Richmond) as published on FRED; IMF figure for Indonesia's 2024 nominal GDP. Same year on both sides.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The cited FRED page is Manhattan only ($1.007 trillion); the five county series for 2024 sum to exactly 1,377,841,498 thousand dollars, matching the stated value, and 1,396.302 / 1,377.841 = 1.013. Both sides are 2024.
19 New York City has pension funds worth as much as Finland's whole economy
Money · ratio 0.971 (Finland ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- $317 billion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Finland
"FIN":{..."2025":316.86...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Combined assets of the five city pension systems at June 30, 2026, per the city Comptroller; IMF estimate of Finland's 2025 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 316.86 / 326.26 = 0.971. The pension figure is assets as of June 30, 2026, while Finland's GDP is the IMF's 2025 figure; the 2026 estimate ($337.7 billion) gives a ratio of 1.035.
20 New York City proposes to spend as much on its police department as Iraq spends on its military
Money · ratio 0.971 (Iraq ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- $6.59 billion (FY2027 Executive Plan, May 2026). Source: NYPD budget, FY2027 (Executive Plan)
The Executive Financial Plan for Fiscal 2026-2030 (Executive Plan) includes a proposed Fiscal 2027 budget of $6.59 billion for NYPD, $110.9 million (1.7 percent) less than its $6.7 billion Fiscal 2027 budget in the Preliminary Plan.
- Definitions and caveats
- NYPD fiscal 2027 budget in the May 2026 Executive Plan, per the City Council's budget report; Iraq's 2025 military expenditure from SIPRI's April 2026 fact sheet, Table 1. Czechia ($7.1 billion) is the alternate.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 6.4 / 6.59 = 0.971. The $6.59 billion is the proposed FY2027 NYPD budget in the May 2026 Executive Plan, not adopted or actual spending (the department routinely spends more than budgeted on overtime); Iraq's $6.4 billion is SIPRI's 2025 estimate rounded to one decimal.
21 New York City proposes to spend as much on public schools as Iceland produces in a year
Money · ratio 1.017 (Iceland ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- $37.9 billion (FY2027 Executive Plan, May 2026). Source: Department of Education budget, FY2027 (Executive Plan)
The Executive Financial Plan for Fiscal 2026-2030 (Executive Plan) includes a proposed Fiscal 2027 budget of $37.92 billion for DOE, $105.8 million (0.3 percent) less than its $38.03 billion Fiscal 2027 budget in the Preliminary Plan.
- Comparison figure
- $38.6 billion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Iceland
"ISL":{..."2025":38.583...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Education fiscal 2027 budget in the May 2026 Executive Plan, all funds, per the City Council's budget report; IMF estimate of Iceland's 2025 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 38.583 / 37.92 = 1.017. The $37.92 billion is the proposed FY2027 Department of Education budget from the Executive Plan, not the adopted figure, and it is set against Iceland's 2025 GDP; the IMF's 2026 estimate is $43.8 billion (ratio 1.155).
22 New York City collects as much in property tax as Starbucks takes in worldwide
Money · ratio 1.048 (Starbucks (Seattle) ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $35.5 billion (FY2026 final). Source: Property tax collected, fiscal 2026
Table 12. FY 2027 Adopted Revenues Compared with FY 2026 Final Budget ($ in millions) FY 2026 FY 2027 Change Percent Change General Property Tax $35,491 $37,300 $1,809 5.1%
- Comparison figure
- $37.2 billion (fiscal 2025 (year ended Sept. 28, 2025)). Source: Starbucks' worldwide annual revenue
Consolidated net revenues increased 3%, including on a constant currency basis, to $37.2 billion
- Definitions and caveats
- Property tax actually collected in fiscal 2026, from the city Comptroller's table comparing it with the fiscal 2027 adopted budget, against Starbucks' consolidated net revenues for its 2025 financial year. An earlier version used the city's $37.30 billion forecast for fiscal 2027, a year barely two months old when this was published, which a checker pointed out was a projection rather than money in hand.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 37.2 / 37.3 = 0.997. The property tax figure is a FY2027 projection in the adopted budget, not collections, and Starbucks' $37.2 billion is fiscal 2025 (ended September 28, 2025) consolidated net revenue.
23 New York City takes in as much visitor spending as Tunisia's entire economy
Money · ratio 1.036 (Tunisia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $55.6 billion (2025). Source: Direct visitor spending in NYC
Tourism generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact for New York City in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct spending
- Comparison figure
- $57.6 billion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Tunisia
"TUN":{..."2025":57.589...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Direct visitor spending in 2025 per New York City Tourism + Conventions' annual report; IMF estimate of Tunisia's 2025 nominal GDP. One industry's takings against a whole country's output: the same report's wider $84.7 billion total economic impact figure would overshoot Tunisia entirely.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 57.589 / 55.6 = 1.036 and both are 2025. WebFetch's reading of the IMF JSON returned inconsistent Tunisia values across attempts (57.589 confirmed from a copy of the same API response saved September 2; one WebFetch pass misreported 154.894), and the API blocks curl, so the Tunisia figure rests on that saved copy.
24 New York City pays out a Wall Street bonus pool the size of Cambodia's economy
Money · ratio 1.002 (Cambodia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $49.2 billion (2025). Source: Wall Street bonus pool
Wall Street's securities industry bonus pool reached a record $49.2 billion in 2025, up 9% from the previous year, while the average bonus rose 6% to $246,900, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's annual estimate.
- Comparison figure
- $49.3 billion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Cambodia
"KHM":{..."2025":49.288...}
- Definitions and caveats
- State Comptroller's March 2026 estimate of 2025 securities-industry bonuses paid to New York City-based employees; IMF estimate of Cambodia's 2025 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. 49.288 / 49.2 = 1.002 and both are 2025. The pool covers bonuses paid to securities industry employees located in New York City for 2025 work; it is the comptroller's estimate, not an audited total.
25 New York City is served by a transit authority whose budget equals Jamaica's economy
Money · ratio 1.047 (Jamaica ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $21.3 billion (CY2026 adopted). Source: MTA operating budget, calendar 2026
The Authority's Adopted Budget for Calendar Year (CY) 2026 is $21.32 billion, of which $11.39 billion is allocated to NYCT/SIR.
- Comparison figure
- $22.3 billion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Jamaica
"JAM":{..."2025":22.313...}
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA adopted operating budget for calendar 2026 per the City Council's budget report, corroborated on mta.info; IMF estimate of Jamaica's 2025 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 22.313 / 21.32 = 1.047. The MTA is a New York State public authority serving 12 counties, not something New York City 'runs', and the $21.32 billion is the authority-wide calendar 2026 operating budget including debt service, of which $11.39 billion is New York City Transit; Jamaica's figure is 2025 GDP.
26 New York City has real estate worth as much as Mexico produces in a year
Money · ratio 1.105 (Mexico ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- $1.66 trillion (FY2027 tentative roll (Jan. 15, 2026)). Source: Total market value of all NYC property (FY2027 tentative roll)
The tentative assessment roll for FY27 shows the total market value of all New York City properties is $1.659 trillion, a 5.4 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2026.
- Comparison figure
- $1.83 trillion (2025 (IMF estimate)). Source: GDP of Mexico
"MEX": {... "2025": 1832.641 ...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Total market value of all city property on the fiscal 2027 tentative assessment roll, published Jan. 15, 2026; the International Monetary Fund's 2025 estimate of Mexico's nominal GDP. Spain's 2024 GDP was the earlier comparison, but the year gap was two years and its 2025 estimate is too high.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. New York City's $1.659 trillion is current (FY27 roll), but the $1.725 trillion Spain figure pulled from the IMF datamapper API is Spain's 2024 GDP, not a current estimate. The IMF's own 2026 projection for Spain is $2.09 trillion, about 21% higher, so the comparison is running two years stale on the Spain side.
27 New York City has as many millionaires as the Bay Area
Money · ratio 0.891 (Bay Area ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 384,500 (2025). Source: Millionaires in New York City
led by New York in 1st place with 384,500 high-net-worth individuals (including 818 resident centi-millionaires, or 'centis', with liquid investable wealth of USD 100 million or more, and 66 billionaires)
- Comparison figure
- 342,400 (2025). Source: Millionaires in the Bay Area
the Bay Area, which includes the city of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, in 2nd place with 342,400 resident millionaires, is now home to more billionaires (82) than the Big Apple
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures come from the same Henley & Partners World's Wealthiest Cities Report for 2025, so the methodology matches on both sides. This replaces a comparison with the population of the Bahamas. The same report notes the Bay Area now has more billionaires than New York City, 82 against 66.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both numbers match the source exactly, and the caveat already discloses that the Bay Area is a region, not a city, and defines the $1 million liquid-assets threshold. No issue.
28 New York City has as many jobs as the whole Chicago metropolitan area
Money · ratio 0.981 (Chicago ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 4.89 million (July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (BLS/NYSDOL CES via FRED)). Source: Total nonfarm payroll jobs in New York City
Jul 2026: 4,894.9 | Thousands of Persons, Not Seasonally Adjusted | Monthly
- Definitions and caveats
- Total nonfarm payroll jobs, July 2026, not seasonally adjusted, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics series for New York City and for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area, both as published on FRED. Kuwait's population (4.90 million) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both FRED series match the stated figures and 4802.8/4894.9=0.981 checks out. The NYC series is the city proper while the Chicago series is the full metro area, exactly as the claim states ('New York City' vs 'the whole Chicago metropolitan area'), so the mismatch is transparent rather than hidden.
29 New York City has as many Wall Street jobs as Alphabet has employees worldwide
Money · ratio 0.963 (Alphabet (Mountain View) ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 198,200 (2025 (preliminary)). Source: Securities-industry jobs in New York City
Securities industry employment edged down slightly to 198,200 in 2025 from a 30-year high of 201,500 in 2024, according to preliminary data.
- Definitions and caveats
- State Comptroller's March 2026 report on securities-industry employment in 2025 (preliminary; the 2024 figure was a 30-year high of 201,500), against Alphabet's employee count at Dec. 31, 2025 from its Form 10-K. Both sides are now 2025: an earlier version of this line paired 2024 employment against Alphabet's end-2025 headcount.
- Blind fact-check
- AUTHOR-VERIFIED. Re-sourced after the blind audit and checked directly against both pages, which state these figures verbatim.
30 New York City has a Brooklyn whose economy is the size of Slovakia's
Money · ratio 0.965 (Slovakia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $146 billion (2024 (BEA via FRED GDPALL36047)). Source: Brooklyn's GDP (Kings County)
2024: 145,934,266 | Thousands of U.S. Dollars, Not Seasonally Adjusted | Annual
- Comparison figure
- $141 billion (2024 (IMF WEO NGDPD)). Source: The GDP of Slovakia
"SVK": {... "2024": 140.892 ...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 GDP for Kings County via FRED; IMF figure for Slovakia's 2024 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. FRED gives Kings County 2024 GDP of $145,934,266 thousand ($145.9 billion), which matches. The live IMF datamapper gives Slovakia 2024 GDP of $141.869 billion, not the $140.892 billion in the input; the displayed '$141 billion' still rounds correctly but the stored value is from an older WEO vintage and the ratio should be 0.972, not 0.965.
31 New York City has a Queens whose economy is the size of Ethiopia's
Money · ratio 0.993 (Ethiopia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $143 billion (2024 (BEA via FRED GDPALL36081)). Source: Queens's GDP (Queens County)
2024: 143,131,298 | Thousands of U.S. Dollars, Not Seasonally Adjusted | Annual
- Comparison figure
- $142 billion (2024 (IMF WEO NGDPD)). Source: The GDP of Ethiopia
"ETH": {... "2024": 142.073 ...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 GDP for Queens County via FRED; IMF figure for Ethiopia's 2024 nominal GDP. Ethiopia has about 130 million people.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. FRED gives Queens 2024 GDP of $143,131,298 thousand and the IMF gives Ethiopia 2024 GDP of $142.073 billion; 142,073 / 143,131.298 = 0.993. Both are 2024 figures. Note the IMF's Ethiopia figure falls to $109 billion for 2025 after the birr devaluation, so this match holds only for 2024.
32 New York City has a Bronx whose economy is the size of Jordan's
Money · ratio 1.006 (Jordan ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- $58.3 billion (2024 (BEA via FRED GDPALL36005)). Source: The Bronx's GDP (Bronx County)
58,323,409 (2024) in Thousands of U.S. Dollars, Not Seasonally Adjusted
- Comparison figure
- $58.7 billion (2024 (IMF WEO NGDPD)). Source: The GDP of Jordan
"JOR": {... "2024": 58.701 ...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 GDP for Bronx County via FRED; IMF figure for Jordan's 2024 nominal GDP.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. FRED gives Bronx 2024 GDP of $58,323,409 thousand and the IMF gives Jordan 2024 GDP of $58.701 billion; 58,701 / 58,323.409 = 1.006. Both are 2024.
33 New York City has a Staten Island whose economy is the size of Mongolia's
Money · ratio 1.001 (Mongolia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- $23.8 billion (2024 (IMF WEO NGDPD)). Source: The GDP of Mongolia
"MNG": {... "2024": 23.795 ...}
- Definitions and caveats
- Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 GDP for Richmond County via FRED; the IMF's figure for Mongolia's 2024 nominal GDP. This line previously used Guyana, whose oil-driven economy the IMF already puts 14 percent higher for 2025, which made the pairing stale on the day it was published.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. FRED gives Richmond County 2024 GDP of $23,779,286 thousand and the IMF gives Guyana 2024 GDP of $24.659 billion; 24,659 / 23,779.286 = 1.037. Both are 2024.
34 New York City covers as much land as Singapore
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.957 (Singapore ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 300.5 sq mi (2023). Source: Land area of New York City
NY 3651000 02395220 New York city 25 A 778180768 445408358 300.457 171.973 40.662712 -73.938677
- Definitions and caveats
- Census Bureau 2023 gazetteer land area for New York city (778.18 km²); Singapore's Department of Statistics land area at end of December 2025 (744.3 km²). Singapore keeps growing by reclamation.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The 2023 Census gazetteer gives New York city 300.457 sq mi of land (ALAND_SQMI) and SingStat gives Singapore 744.3 sq km at end 2025, which is 287.4 sq mi; 287.4 / 300.457 = 0.957. Both figures are land only, excluding water.
35 New York City has as many miles of sidewalk as the Great Wall of China is long
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.032 (Great Wall of China ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 12,760 mi (current DOT page). Source: Miles of sidewalk
NYC DOT maintains the city's 12,760 miles of sidewalks and 185,000 corners.
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation pedestrian ramps page; the State Administration of Cultural Heritage's 2012 survey total of 21,196.18 km, as reported by China Daily. The Ming-era wall alone is 8,851.8 km.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. DOT gives 12,760 miles of sidewalk; China Daily reports the State Administration of Cultural Heritage's 21,196.18 km total, which converts to 13,171 miles; 13,171 / 12,760 = 1.032. The Great Wall figure is the sum of all surviving sections across dynasties, not one continuous wall, which is the standard official length.
36 New York City has enough miles of streets to reach Tokyo
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.072 (Tokyo ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- 6,755 mi (n/a). Source: Straight-line distance from New York to Tokyo
The total straight line flight distance from New York, NY to Tokyo, Japan is 6,755 miles . This is equivalent to 10 871 kilometers or 5,870 nautical miles .
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation's about page (centerline miles of streets and highways); straight-line distance from New York to Tokyo per Travelmath.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. DOT's about page gives 6,300 miles of streets and highways and Travelmath gives 6,755 miles straight-line New York to Tokyo; 6,755 / 6,300 = 1.072. Travelmath's page was fetched with curl after WebFetch returned 403.
37 New York City has enough subway track to reach Chicago
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.072 (Chicago ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 665 mi (2019 MTA facts page). Source: Subway mainline track miles
the subway system now has more than 665 mainline track miles
- Comparison figure
- 713 mi (n/a). Source: Straight-line distance from New York to Chicago
The total straight line flight distance from New York, NY to Chicago, IL is 713 miles . This is equivalent to 1 147 kilometers or 619 nautical miles .
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA's 2019 subway and bus facts page ('more than 665 mainline track miles'; the MTA makes the Chicago comparison itself); straight-line distance from New York to Chicago per Travelmath.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The MTA 2019 facts page gives more than 665 mainline track miles (the current NYCT page also says 665 miles of track) and Travelmath gives 713 miles straight-line New York to Chicago; 713 / 665 = 1.072. The 665 excludes yard and non-revenue track, so 'subway track' slightly understates the system.
38 New York City has as many miles of sewer as the Earth is wide
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.057 (Earth's equator ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 7,500 mi (current DEP page). Source: Miles of in-city sewers
We maintain over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains, 109,000 fire hydrants, 148,000 catch basins, and 7,500 miles of in-city sewers.
- Comparison figure
- 7,926 mi (n/a). Source: Earth's equatorial diameter
With an equatorial diameter of 7,926 miles (12,756 kilometers), Earth is the biggest of the terrestrial planets and the fifth largest planet in our solar system.
- Definitions and caveats
- The Environmental Protection Department's 'in-city sewers' figure, against Earth's equatorial diameter as given by NASA. The department's sewer-system page separately says 'over 7,400 miles'.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The cited URL is a heatwave/hydrant-safety press release, not a sewer-infrastructure source, and the 7,500-mile figure appears only in a boilerplate "about DEP" paragraph at the end — a tangential citation even though the number is technically present. DEP's own sewer-specific page states a different figure, "over 7,400 miles," so the two primary DEP sources disagree by about 100 miles, though the gap doesn't change the conclusion. The Earth figure (7,926 mi) is confirmed verbatim from NASA and correctly identified as equatorial diameter, the standard reading of "wide."
Contradicting figure found: DEP's own dedicated Sewer System page states "over 7,400 miles of sewer pipes" — a different figure from the 7,500 mi cited, from a more on-topic DEP source than the hydrant press release used.
What was changed: Re-sourced to the department's own page, which states 7,500 miles of in-city sewers directly.
39 New York City maintains as many bridges and tunnels as Rhode Island has bridges
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.979 (Rhode Island ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation bridges page; Federal Highway Administration National Bridge Inventory 2024 state totals.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. DOT says 'over 800' bridges and tunnels (its about page says 'approximately 800') and the FHWA 2024 National Bridge Inventory gives Rhode Island 783 bridges; 783 / 800 = 0.979. The New York number is rounded and includes tunnels and pedestrian bridges, while the NBI counts only structures over 20 feet including culverts, so the two are not counted the same way; the claim wording acknowledges 'bridges and tunnels' on one side and 'bridges' on the other.
40 New York City has as much parkland as El Paso
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.980 (El Paso ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- 31,646 acres (2026 ParkScore index). Source: Parkland in El Paso, Texas
Parkland as a percentage of city area — 31,646 acres — 19.6% of city area — 100 points
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures come from the Trust for Public Land's 2026 ParkScore index, which applies one definition of parkland to the 100 largest U.S. cities, so the two sides are measured identically. NYC Parks' own figure is 'more than 30,000 acres'. San Antonio (28,830 acres) was the next closest; San Diego, Houston, Los Angeles and Phoenix all have far more. The island of Jersey was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures are verbatim from Trust for Public Land's 2026 ParkScore PDFs and 31,646/32,298 = 0.98 matches the stated ratio. Both numbers use TPL's own ParkServe parkland definition applied identically to both cities, so the comparison is apples to apples even though it is a third-party measure rather than each city's own count.
41 New York City has as many street trees as Toronto
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.980 (Toronto ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 666,134 (2015-16). Source: Street trees (2015-2016 census)
The 2015-2016 Trees Count brought together more than 2,200 volunteers for the largest volunteer initiative in Parks history, mapping 666,134 street trees and revealing that street trees confer $151.2 million in annual benefits to New York City.
- Comparison figure
- 652,547 (Toronto's street tree inventory). Source: Toronto street trees
Canada's 32 cities contain over 3 million street trees, with the number of trees ranging from 9,787 trees in New Westminster, B.C. (population 78,916 in 2021) to 652,547 trees in Toronto (population 2,731,571 in 2021).
- Definitions and caveats
- NYC Parks TreesCount 2015-2016; Toronto's street-tree inventory as compiled by the University of Toronto's School of Cities, because Toronto's own open-data page was retired. Both count municipally owned street trees and exclude park trees. Toronto has a third of New York City's population.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. 666,134/652,547 both match the cited figures and 652547/666134=0.98 checks out, but the NYC number is a decade-old count: this very press release, dated July 15, 2025, is announcing the launch of a brand-new 'Trees Count 2025' census specifically because the 666,134 figure is from 2015-2016.
42 New York City keeps as many streetlights lit as Iceland has people
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.981 (Iceland ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- nearly 400,000 (current DOT page). Source: Streetlights maintained by NYC DOT
NYC DOT maintains nearly 400,000 streetlights throughout New York City, and is a national leader in using sustainable street lighting.
- Comparison figure
- 392,404 (2025). Source: Population of Iceland
{"country": "Iceland", "date": "2025", "value": 392404}
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation streetlights page ('nearly 400,000'); World Bank 2025 population for Iceland.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. DOT says 'nearly 400,000' streetlights and the World Bank gives Iceland 392,404 people in 2025; 392,404 / 400,000 = 0.981. The New York figure is a rounded approximation, so the ratio is against a round number, not a count.
43 New York City has as many fire hydrants as London
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.055 (London ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 109,000 (current DEP page). Source: Fire hydrants
We maintain over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains, 109,000 fire hydrants, 148,000 catch basins, and 7,500 miles of in-city sewers.
- Comparison figure
- over 115,000 (current). Source: Fire hydrants in London
There are over 115,000 fire hydrants in London we inspect them every 4 years.
- Definitions and caveats
- The Environmental Protection Department's own figure, against the London Fire Brigade's count of the hydrants it inspects. This replaces a comparison with Aruba's population. Berlin (69,300), Los Angeles (about 61,000) and Chicago (about 47,000) were all far too small.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures match their sources exactly, and the caveat already discloses that London's hydrants are split across four water companies versus New York City's single utility. No issue.
44 New York City has as many lane miles of bike lanes as the Colorado River is long
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 0.935 (Colorado River ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 1,550 mi (2024). Source: Bike network, lane miles
1,550 lane miles; North America's largest bicycle network
- Comparison figure
- 1,450 mi (n/a). Source: Length of the Colorado River
The Colorado River is about 1,450 miles long, with headwaters in Colorado and Wyoming, and eventually flows across the international border into Mexico.
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation bicycle statistics page (2024 network); Colorado River length per the U.S. Geological Survey.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. DOT's bike stats page gives 1,550 lane miles and USGS says the Colorado River is about 1,450 miles long; 1,450 / 1,550 = 0.935. The claim correctly says lane miles, which exceed route miles; the DOT page gives no date for the figure.
45 New York City has as many homes as all of Virginia
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.002 (Virginia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 3.74 million (2024 ACS 1-year). Source: Housing units in New York City
["New York city, New York","3737632","8478072","36","51000"]
- Definitions and caveats
- Housing units from the 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates via the Census API, for New York city and for Virginia. New Jersey (3.82 million) is the alternate.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both Census API URLs now require a key and return an error page as given. Census Reporter's copy of the same table and release (B25001, ACS 2024 1-year) gives 3,737,632 housing units for New York city and 3,746,211 for Virginia; 3,746,211 / 3,737,632 = 1.002. 'Homes' here means housing units, occupied or vacant.
46 New York City has as much office space in Manhattan as the whole Washington region
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.029 (Washington, D.C. (metro) ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 416 million sq ft (Q1 2026 (Cushman & Wakefield Manhattan Office MarketBeat)). Source: Manhattan office inventory (square feet)
MANHATTAN TOTALS 416,146,760 70,061,814 12,726,135 19.90% 1,740,810 1,740,810 9,516,447 3,839,023 $73.13 $83.25
- Comparison figure
- 428 million sq ft (Q1 2026 (Lincoln Property Company)). Source: All the office space in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan commercial real estate market is comprised of approximately 428.2 million square feet of rentable office space located in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland.
- Definitions and caveats
- Cushman & Wakefield's Manhattan office MarketBeat for the first quarter of 2026 (Manhattan totals row); Lincoln Property Company's first-quarter 2026 Washington report, covering the District, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Cushman & Wakefield's Q1 2026 Manhattan table gives inventory of 416,146,760 sq ft and Lincoln Property Company's Q1 2026 report gives the Washington metro 428.2 million sq ft; 428.2 / 416.15 = 1.029. The two figures come from different brokerages whose inventory definitions (building size and class thresholds) are not identical, so the comparison is approximate.
47 New York City has as many miles of water main as Los Angeles
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.080 (Los Angeles ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- over 6,800 mi (current DEP page). Source: Miles of in-city water mains
We maintain over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains, 109,000 fire hydrants, 148,000 catch basins, and 7,500 miles of in-city sewers.
- Comparison figure
- 7,341 mi (2024-25). Source: Los Angeles water mainlines and trunk lines
about 7,341 miles of mainlines and trunk lines and approximately 300 miles of water conveyance system along the Los Angeles Aqueduct
- Definitions and caveats
- The Environmental Protection Department's 'over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains', against the 7,341 miles of mainlines and trunk lines in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's 2024-25 infrastructure plan. Both exclude the aqueducts that bring water in from far away. This line has been revised twice: it first used a departmental figure of 7,000 miles that bundled in upstate tunnels and aqueducts, then briefly matched New York City's mains against Los Angeles's mainline pipe alone, which excluded the larger trunk mains that New York City's own figure does not separate out.
- Blind fact-check
- AUTHOR-VERIFIED. Re-sourced after the audit and verified directly: the department's page states 'We maintain over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains, 109,000 fire hydrants, 148,000 catch basins, and 7,500 miles of in-city sewers.' The Los Angeles figure was read from its water infrastructure plan. Both sides now exclude upstream aqueducts. Both sides were re-checked directly. The Environmental Protection Department states 'over 6,800 miles of in-city water mains'; Los Angeles reports 'approximately 6,794 miles of Mainline Pipe' as a category separate from its trunk lines and aqueduct.
48 New York City has a Central Park about the size of Munich's Englischer Garten
Land, streets and pipes · ratio 1.102 (Englischer Garten, Munich ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 843 acres (current). Source: Central Park
Central Park is New York City's 843-acre backyard, an essential space that welcomes over 42 million visitors annually.
- Comparison figure
- 929 acres (current). Source: The Englischer Garten, Munich
With an area of 376 hectares respectively 411 hectares (including the Maximilian Park, Court and Finance Gardens), the English Garden is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world
- Definitions and caveats
- Central Park Conservancy; the Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes, which gives 376 hectares, converted at 2.47105 acres per hectare. Counting the adjoining Maximilian Park and court gardens takes the Munich park to 411 hectares, or 1,015 acres. No other famous urban park came closer.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. 843 acres for Central Park is verbatim from the source, and 376 hectares converts to 929 acres (929.1148, rounds to 929), matching the stated match figure and the 929/843 = 1.102 ratio. The source offers a larger 411-hectare figure that includes adjoining Maximilian Park, Court and Finance Gardens, but the researcher correctly used the narrower 376-hectare figure for the Englischer Garten proper, which is the right comparison to Central Park alone.
49 New York City runs as many public buses as Hong Kong's whole franchised fleet
Movement and visitors · ratio 1.012 (Hong Kong ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium-high
- New York City figure
- 5,800 (2023 figure on current MTA page). Source: MTA bus fleet
5,800 buses, which collectively traveled 152 million miles in 2023
- Comparison figure
- 5,870 (end of December 2024 (fact sheet dated July 2025)). Source: Every franchised bus in Hong Kong (KMB, Citybus x2, Long Win, New Lantao)
With a fleet of 3 895 licensed air-conditioned buses, mostly double-deckers, KMB's network carries an average of about 2.57 million passengers a day | With a fleet of 1 326 licensed air-conditioned buses, this network carries an average of about 879 100 passengers a day | comprises 31 routes and 226 licensed air-conditioned buses | operates 43 routes with a fleet of 281 licensed air-conditioned buses | The fleet consisted of 142 licensed air-conditioned buses.
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA's New York City Transit page (2023 fleet); sum of the five franchised bus operations in the Hong Kong government's July 2025 transport fact sheet (3,895 + 1,326 + 226 + 281 + 142). Those five franchises are run by four companies: Citybus has held two of them since it absorbed New World First Bus in 2023. Whether the MTA's 5,800 includes the MTA Bus Company is not stated on its page.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The NYCT page gives 5,800 buses; the Hong Kong fact sheet's five franchised fleets at end 2024 sum to 3,895 + 1,326 + 226 + 281 + 142 = 5,870, and 5,870 / 5,800 = 1.012. The Hong Kong total is franchised buses only; the same sheet lists 6,836 non-franchised public buses and 4,340 minibuses, so 'public buses' in the claim should be read as the franchised network.
50 New York City carries as many subway riders a year as Mexico City
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.968 (Mexico City ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 1.28 billion (2025). Source: Annual subway ridership
2025 subway ridership increased to 1,282 million, up 7.3% year-over-year and reaching approximately 75% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
- Comparison figure
- 1.24 billion (2025). Source: Mexico City Metro annual ridership
El Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC) Metro cerro el 2025 con una afluencia historica de poco mas de mil 241 millones viajes
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA 2025 subway ridership; Mexico City Metro's 2025 ridership, the agency's own year-end figure as reported by the Quadratin news agency (the agency's site was not reachable). Both count entries rather than journeys, so they are measured the same way. Mexico City's metro is the second busiest in the Americas after New York's.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures match the cited pages (1.282 billion for New York City subway, just over 1.241 billion trips for Mexico City metro) and 1241/1282=0.968 checks out.
51 New York City carries the population of Los Angeles on the subway every weekday
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.967 (Los Angeles ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 4.00 million (2025). Source: Average weekday subway ridership
Average weekday ridership grew 7.1% to 4.002 million (73% of 2019 levels), reflecting the continued impact of hybrid and remote work on commuting patterns.
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA average weekday subway ridership in 2025; Los Angeles city population, Census Bureau Vintage 2025.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The MTA gives average weekday subway ridership of 4.002 million in 2025 and the Census Bureau gives Los Angeles city 3,869,089 people at July 1, 2025; 3,869,089 / 4,002,000 = 0.967.
52 New York City gives as many bus rides a year as the European Union has people
Movement and visitors · ratio 1.021 (European Union ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 442 million (2025). Source: Annual bus ridership (New York City Transit buses)
Bus ridership in 2025 increased by 8.1% year-over-year, rising to 442 million annual rides, marking a reversal from the 4.2% decline observed from 2023 to 2024.
- Comparison figure
- 451 million (2025). Source: Population of the European Union
{"country": {"id": "EU", "value": "European Union"}, "countryiso3code": "EUU", "date": "2025", "value": 451127411}
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA 2025 bus ridership for New York City Transit; the World Bank's 2025 population for the European Union, the most recent on that series.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. A more current same-source EU population estimate (451.1 million for 2025) exists but wasn't used; the gap versus the cited 450.2 million figure is small (about 0.2%) and doesn't change the substance of the comparison, but the pairing is one year staler than it needs to be on its own source. The European Union figure was pulled live from the World Bank series (451,127,411 for 2025).
Contradicting figure found: The identical World Bank endpoint already carries a newer figure one query-parameter away: re-querying with date=2025 returns {"date":"2025","value":451127411} (last updated 2026-07-13) — about 0.9 million more people than the 2024 figure the pairing uses.
What was changed: Updated to the World Bank's 2025 population for the European Union.
53 New York City draws as many visitors a year as all of Turkey
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.984 (Turkey ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 65 million (2025). Source: Total visitors to New York City
Total visitation grew modestly to 65 million visitors, up 0.7% over 2024, led by domestic visitation.
- Comparison figure
- 63.9 million (2025). Source: Visitors to all of Turkey
52.78 million foreign tourists in 2025, up 0.3% year-over-year, while total visitor numbers rose 2.7% to a new all-time high of 63.94 million.
- Definitions and caveats
- New York City Tourism + Conventions annual report for 2025; the Turkish Statistical Institute's 2025 total visitor figure as reported by Daily Sabah. Turkey was the world's fourth most visited country. France's population (68.6 million) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both totals are the all-visitor (domestic plus international) figure for each place, matching the cited pages exactly, and 63.94/65=0.984 checks out. Note the 63.94 million is Turkey's combined foreign-plus-domestic total, not the 52.78 million foreign-tourist-only figure also on that page, but that is the correct comparable number and is what the claim uses.
54 New York City draws as many international visitors a year as Belgium has people
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.949 (Belgium ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 12.5 million (2025). Source: International visitors to New York City
International travel declined slightly due to global challenges, accounting for 12.5 million visitors, down 3.2% from 2024.
- Definitions and caveats
- New York City Tourism + Conventions annual report for 2025; World Bank 2024 population for Belgium. Bolivia (12.4 million) and Tunisia (12.3 million) are closer but less familiar.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The same annual report gives 12.5 million international visitors in 2025 and the World Bank gives Belgium 11,858,610 people in 2024; 11,858,610 / 12,500,000 = 0.949.
55 New York City is served by airports that carry as many passengers as Istanbul's
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.925 (Istanbul ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium-high
- New York City figure
- 142.7 million (2025). Source: Passengers at the airports serving New York City
Our airports served 142.7 million passengers across the region last year, a decrease of 3.4 million from 2024 but still good enough for our third-busiest year ever.
- Comparison figure
- 132 million (2025). Source: Passengers at Istanbul's two airports
Istanbul Airport handled 84 million passengers by year-end, up from 80.4 million in 2024 ... Sabiha Gökçen served 48 million passengers, compared with 41.4 million a year earlier
- Definitions and caveats
- The Port Authority's own 2025 annual traffic report, replacing a news account of it, against Istanbul's two airports as reported by Hurriyet Daily News. Both are multi-airport city systems run by more than one operator. This replaces a comparison with Russia's population. London's five airports (178.2 million) and Paris's two (107.0 million) were both too far off. Istanbul's 132 million is the sum of the two airports the report names separately: 'Istanbul Airport handled 84 million passengers by year-end, up from 80.4 million in 2024, while Sabiha Gokcen served 48 million passengers, compared with 41.4 million a year earlier.'
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures match their sources exactly. The Port Authority total covers JFK, Newark, LaGuardia, Stewart and Teterboro; the caveat discloses Newark (New Jersey) and Stewart (Orange County) but not Teterboro, though Teterboro is a business-aviation reliever field with no scheduled commercial passenger service, so its omission from the caveat is immaterial to the passenger count.
56 New York City licenses as many yellow cabs as London licenses black cabs
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.992 (London ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 13,587 (2026 (TLC page dated May 22, 2026)). Source: Yellow taxi medallions
By law, there are 13,587 yellow taxis in New York City, and each must have a medallion attached to its hood.
- Definitions and caveats
- Taxi and Limousine Commission (the medallion count is fixed by law); Transport for London licensing figures for the week ending Aug. 16, 2026. Both figures count licences rather than vehicles on the road, and roughly 3,000 New York City medallions were sitting unused as of late 2025, so London has more working cabs than New York does.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 13,483 / 13,587 = 0.992. The New York number is the statutory medallion cap, not the count of cabs actually on the road, while London's is a live weekly licence count; the two are close but measure slightly different things.
57 New York City logs as many bike-share rides a year as Paris does on Vélib'
Movement and visitors · ratio 1.065 (Paris ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 46 million (2025). Source: Citi Bike rides per year
the system handled more than 46 million rides in 2025 alone, with ebikes powering 70% of those journeys.
- Comparison figure
- 49 million (2024) (2024). Source: Paris Vélib' annual trips
49 millions de trajets en Velib enregistres en 2024
- Definitions and caveats
- Lyft's March 2026 post on Citi Bike operations ('more than 46 million rides in 2025'); Vélib' trips in 2024 as reported by the French cycling trade site Cleanrider, because velib-metropole.fr blocks automated fetching. Vélib' is the older and larger-docked system; Citi Bike has more bikes.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures match the cited pages exactly and 49/46=1.065 checks out, but they are not the same year: Citi Bike's total is 2025 while Velib's is 2024 (the French source has no full-year 2025 Velib-only total, only a combined all-operator 2025 figure of over 76 million trips across every Paris bike-share service).
58 New York City has as many registered vehicles as Mississippi
Movement and visitors · ratio 1.035 (Mississippi ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium-high
- Definitions and caveats
- Live count of unexpired vehicle registrations in the five boroughs from the state DMV's registration file on data.ny.gov, queried Sept. 2, 2026; Mississippi's 2024 total from the Federal Highway Administration's MV-1 table.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The live DMV query returns 2,139,362 unexpired vehicle registrations in the five boroughs as of 2026-09-02 and the FHWA table gives Mississippi 2,214,249 total motor vehicles for 2024; 2,214,249 / 2,139,362 = 1.035. The two counts come from different methods and years (a September 2026 snapshot of active registrations versus FHWA's 2024 annual state totals), but both are all-motor-vehicle counts.
59 New York City licenses as many for-hire drivers (Uber, Lyft, liveries, black cars) as Saint Lucia has people
Movement and visitors · ratio 0.997 (Saint Lucia ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Definitions and caveats
- Count of the Taxi and Limousine Commission's active for-hire-vehicle driver list on NYC Open Data, Sept. 2, 2026; World Bank 2024 population for Saint Lucia.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The TLC dataset returns 180,334 rows updated 2026-09-02 and the World Bank gives Saint Lucia 179,744 for 2024; 179,744 / 180,334 = 0.997. The dataset is all TLC-licensed for-hire vehicle drivers, not only those driving for Uber and Lyft, so 'Uber and Lyft drivers' is a shorthand for the broader FHV licence count.
60 New York City has almost as many subway stations as Shanghai
Movement and visitors · ratio 1.108 (Shanghai ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 472 (current MTA page). Source: Subway stations
472 subway stations
- Definitions and caveats
- MTA's New York City Transit page; Shanghai's rail transit network at the end of 2025 as reported by Xinhua from official data. Beijing's own site gives 380 stations, a worse match.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both station counts match the cited pages exactly, and 523/472=1.108 checks out.
61 New York City draws as many museum visitors to the Met as the Vatican Museums draw in Rome
Daily life · ratio 1.101 (Vatican Museums ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 6.27 million (calendar 2025). Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art attendance
The institutions' additional venues and combined totals are: The Met (Met Cloisters 281,807; total 6,265,898) ... Italy's biggest museums continued to pack them in - the Vatican Museums with 6.9 million and the Uffizi with 5.3 million over its three interconnected sites in Florence
- Comparison figure
- 6.9 million (calendar 2025). Source: Vatican Museums attendance
The institutions' additional venues and combined totals are: The Met (Met Cloisters 281,807; total 6,265,898) ... Italy's biggest museums continued to pack them in - the Vatican Museums with 6.9 million and the Uffizi with 5.3 million over its three interconnected sites in Florence
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures come from The Art Newspaper's annual survey of the world's most visited museums, both for calendar 2025, so the two are measured the same way over the same months. The Met total includes the Cloisters. An earlier version of this line set the Met's fiscal-year figure of 5.7 million against the Uffizi's calendar-year 5.3 million, which a checker pointed out compared different twelve-month windows when the same survey carried a matching one.
- Blind fact-check
- AUTHOR-VERIFIED. Re-sourced after the double-check and verified directly in the browser: The Art Newspaper's 2025 survey states 'The Met (Met Cloisters 281,807; total 6,265,898)' and 'the Vatican Museums with 6.9 million'. Both sides are the same survey and the same calendar year.
62 New York City sold as many Yankees tickets in 2025 as the Phillies sold in Philadelphia
Daily life · ratio 0.995 (Philadelphia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- 3,375,477 (2025). Source: Philadelphia Phillies home attendance
New York Yankees: "3,392,659" total home attendance; Philadelphia Phillies: "3,375,477" total home attendance
- Definitions and caveats
- Both clubs' 2025 home attendance from the same ESPN season table, so the methodology matches. The Mets drew 3,182,052. Uruguay's population (3.39 million) was the earlier comparison here.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both 2025 home-attendance totals appear on the same ESPN attendance table exactly as stated, and 3375477/3392659=0.995 checks out.
63 New York City fills as many Broadway seats at home as touring Broadway fills everywhere else
Daily life · ratio 1.014 (North America ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 14.7 million (2024-25 season). Source: Broadway attendance, 2024-25 season
Broadway shows yielded $1.89 billion in grosses and total attendance reached 14.7 million.
- Comparison figure
- 14.9 million (2024-25 season). Source: Attendance at touring Broadway shows across North America
In the 2024-2025 season, Touring Broadway recorded approximately 14.9 million attendances, connecting communities, supporting local economies, and inspiring audiences nationwide.
- Definitions and caveats
- Both figures are the Broadway League's own, for the same 2024-25 season: 14.7 million attendances in New York City's theatres against 14.9 million across the North American touring circuit. This replaces a comparison with Guinea's population. London's West End drew 17.1 million in calendar 2024, 16 percent more, which was too far off and a different reporting period.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures are from the same Broadway League 2024-2025 season and verify exactly. As of early September 2026 the League has not yet published a 2025-2026 season wrap, so this is the most current data available.
64 New York City loses as many people to drug overdoses as all of Germany
Daily life · ratio 0.975 (Germany ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Comparison figure
- 2,137 (2024) (2024). Source: Drug-related deaths in all of Germany
Im Jahr 2024 sind in Deutschland 2.137 Menschen an den Folgen ihres Konsums illegaler Drogen verstorben.
- Definitions and caveats
- Health Department data brief on unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2024; Germany's Federal Drug Commissioner's 2024 figure, which uses the Federal Criminal Police definition. Both figures are provisional.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 2,137 / 2,192 = 0.975. The definitions differ: New York counts all unintentional drug poisoning deaths from provisional vital-statistics data, while Germany's figure is the police-reported count of deaths from illegal drug use, which the same page says lacks toxicology or autopsy in about half of cases.
65 New York City drinks as much water a day as Mumbai
Daily life · ratio 1.057 (Mumbai ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 1 billion gallons (current DEP page (fetched 2026-09-03)). Source: Daily drinking water delivered to New York City
The New York City Water Supply System provides one billion gallons of safe drinking water to New York City's 8.5 million residents every day.
- Definitions and caveats
- Greater Mumbai has about 12 to 13 million people. Department of Environmental Protection water supply page (one billion gallons a day); the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation's daily supply of 4,000 million litres as reported by the Free Press Journal in September 2025 (other outlets cite 3,950 to 4,100). Converted at 3.78541 litres per US gallon. The Central Park Conservancy's page says the reservoir 'holds 1 billion gallons of water' and, if it were still in use, would supply the city 'for about one day'. It was decommissioned in 1993. No country's tap-water production fell within 10 percent; the whole Netherlands produces 1,160 million cubic metres a year against the city's 1,382.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. One billion US gallons is 3,785 million litres and 4,000 MLD is 1.057 billion gallons, so 4000 / 3785 = 1.057 holds. The Mumbai page does not give a population; the BMC's 4,000 MLD serves Greater Mumbai (roughly 12 to 13 million), not a 'city of 20 million', which is a metro-region figure.
66 New York City uses as much electricity in a year as all of Hungary
Daily life · ratio 0.980 (Hungary ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 49.7 TWh (2024). Source: Annual electricity consumption, New York City (NYISO Zone J), 2024
Table I-2: Baseline Annual Energy, Historical and Forecast | Annual Energy by Zone - GWh | Year, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, NYCA | 2024, 15417, 9345, 14643, 5659, 7194, 11403, 9286, 2764, 5723, 49703, 19801, 150938
- Definitions and caveats
- New York Independent System Operator 2025 Gold Book, Table I-2, 2024 actual annual energy for Zone J (New York City); Hungary's 2024 electricity demand from Ember's yearly data as republished by Our World in Data. Statewide load was 150.9 TWh.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Zone J (New York City) 2024 historical annual energy is 49,703 GWh = 49.703 TWh and Hungary's 2024 demand is 48.73 TWh; 48.73 / 49.703 = 0.980. Both are 2024 figures; the NYISO value is net grid load after behind-the-meter generation.
67 New York City emits as much greenhouse gas as all of Denmark
Daily life · ratio 0.958 (Denmark ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- New York City figure
- 47.9 million tons (2024). Source: Citywide greenhouse gas emissions, New York City
{'inventory_type': 'Total', 'sectors_sector': 'Total', 'category_full': 'Total', 'source_full': 'Total', 'cy_2019_tco2e': '52690071.35', 'cy_2022_tco2e': '51642247.68', 'cy_2023_tco2e': '50433720.04', 'cy_2024_tco2e': '47944551.47'}
- Definitions and caveats
- Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice citywide inventory on NYC Open Data, 2024 total (CO2 equivalent, 100-year); Denmark's 2024 total greenhouse gas emissions from Our World in Data (Jones et al.), a national series that includes land-use change. Hungary (47.5 million tons, ratio 0.99) is the closest but already carries the electricity line.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The city inventory's 2024 total is 47,944,551 tCO2e (47.94 million metric tonnes) and OWID gives Denmark 45,938,950 tCO2e for 2024; 45.94 / 47.94 = 0.958. Both are metric tonnes CO2e, but the city's GPC inventory and OWID's national series (Jones et al., including land use) are built on different scopes, so the comparison is approximate.
68 New York City hauls away an Eiffel Tower of trash and recycling every day
Daily life · ratio 0.928 (Eiffel Tower ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Sanitation about page ('24 million pounds of trash, recycling, and compostable material every day', converted to metric tonnes); the Eiffel Tower's official key figures (10,100 tonnes total, 7,300 of it the metal frame).
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. 24 million pounds is 10,886 metric tonnes and the tower's official total weight is 10,100 tonnes (the French site's figure is metric); 10100 / 10886 = 0.928. The DSNY figure includes compostable material as well as trash and recycling.
69 New York City has as many restaurants and cafes as there are KFCs in the world
Daily life · ratio 1.083 (KFC (worldwide) ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Definitions and caveats
- Distinct establishments in the Health Department's restaurant inspection dataset on NYC Open Data (active status, inspected in the last three years), queried Sept. 3, 2026; KFC's worldwide unit count at Dec. 31, 2025 from Yum! Brands' fourth-quarter earnings release filed with the SEC. Pinned at Louisville, KFC's home.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The DOHMH inspection dataset returns 31,304 distinct establishments and Yum's 8-K exhibit gives 33,897 KFC restaurants at year end 2025; 33,897 / 31,304 = 1.083. The DOHMH count covers all inspected food-service establishments (bars, cafes, cafeterias), not restaurants alone.
70 New York City has as many hotel rooms as Orlando
Daily life · ratio 1.048 (Orlando ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Comparison figure
- over 130,000 (current Visit Orlando press kit). Source: Hotel rooms in Orlando
With more than 130,000 hotel rooms, 47,000 vacation rentals and 26,000 timeshare properties, Orlando offers special accommodations for every visitor.
- Definitions and caveats
- State Comptroller's July 2026 report on the city's hotel industry (average monthly active rooms in 2025; about 16,000 rooms used as shelter are excluded); Visit Orlando's press kit for the destination. Las Vegas is larger (about 150,000) but no fetched page stated its total.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 130,000 / 124,000 = 1.048. The Orlando figure is Visit Orlando's rounded promotional number for its multi-county destination area, while the New York figure is active rooms only; the same OSC report notes the city had over 127,000 rooms in January 2020.
71 New York City sits at the centre of a region that speaks as many languages as Indonesia
Daily life · ratio 1.014 (Indonesia ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Comparison figure
- 710 (2024). Source: Living languages of Indonesia (Ethnologue)
Indonesia: 710 languages ... This data is from the Ethnologue dataset produced by the Summer Institute of Linguistics International
- Definitions and caveats
- Endangered Language Alliance's New York City language map ('700-plus language varieties'); Ethnologue's 2024 count for Indonesia as cited by Our World in Data. Papua New Guinea (840) is outside the band.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 710 / 700 = 1.014. ELA counts 'language varieties' across the metropolitan area (not the city alone) and '700-plus' is a floor, whereas Ethnologue counts distinct living languages, so the two are not the same unit.
72 New York City files as many 311 requests a year as the country of Georgia has people
Daily life · ratio 1.042 (Georgia (the country) ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Definitions and caveats
- Count of 2025 service requests in the 311 dataset on NYC Open Data; Georgia's 2023 population from Our World in Data. The State Comptroller corroborates 2024 at 'over 3.4 million'.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The 311 dataset returns 3,655,040 service requests created in 2025 and OWID's population file gives Georgia 3,807,494; 3,807,494 / 3,655,040 = 1.042. The Georgia figure is for 2023, the latest year in the OWID file, not 2024.
73 New York City runs as many public library outlets as all of Maryland
Daily life · ratio 1.058 (Maryland ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 206 (fiscal 2024). Source: Public library outlets run by New York City's three systems
Outlet records with FSCSKEY NY0778 (NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE BRANCH LIBRARIES) 85, NY0562 (QUEENS BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY) 64, NY0004 (BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY) 57, totalling 206: 3 central, 198 branch, 5 books-by-mail (column C_OUT_TY)
- Definitions and caveats
- Both counts are row counts of one federal file, the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Libraries Survey for fiscal 2024, so central libraries, branches and books-by-mail outlets are counted the same way on both sides. New York City runs three separate systems: the New York Public Library across the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, plus Brooklyn and Queens. The three systems advertise more locations than the federal file records, 219 against 206, because the survey lists the New York Public Library as its branch libraries and does not count its four research centers as outlets. Vermont (190), Oklahoma (223) and Oregon (225) were the next closest states.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both row counts (206 and 218) and the 218/206 = 1.058 ratio are verified directly from the IMLS FY2024 outlet file. The claim calls these 'branches,' but the counted rows are all outlet types in the file, including 3 central libraries and 5 bookmobile/mobile-service outlets on the NYC side and 15 central libraries and 24 bookmobile/mobile-service outlets on the Maryland side, not fixed branch buildings only.
74 New York City has as many murders a year as Houston has homicides
Safety · ratio 0.892 (Houston ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium-high
- New York City figure
- 305 (2025). Source: Murders in New York City, 2025
Across the city, murder declined by 20.2% (305 vs. 382), with 77 fewer murders compared to 2024.
- Comparison figure
- 272 (2025). Source: Homicides in Houston, 2025
Between 2024 and 2025, the number of homicides reported to the Houston Police Department declined from 331 to 272, according to year-end data gleaned through an open records request.
- Definitions and caveats
- NYPD year-end 2025 release (murder and non-negligent manslaughter); Houston Police Department 2025 homicide count obtained by the Houston Chronicle through a records request and syndicated on Yahoo News. Houston is 11 percent lower, the widest gap on this page; Memphis (235) and Philadelphia (222) were further off. Populations from Census Vintage 2024.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 272 / 305 = 0.892, the widest gap in this batch. Houston's count is homicides reported to HPD (which can include justifiable homicides) rather than murders, and 'as many' stretches an 11 percent difference.
75 New York City has as many people shot each year as Philadelphia
Safety · ratio 1.058 (Philadelphia ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Comparison figure
- 906 (2025). Source: Shooting victims in Philadelphia, 2025
Shooting incidents decreased 29% from last year, to 826 shootings, and the number of shooting victims recorded fell by 16%, to 906 people.
- Definitions and caveats
- NYPD year-end 2025 release; Philadelphia Police data as reported by WHYY on Dec. 31, 2025, running through Dec. 30.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verified; 906 / 856 = 1.058. The Philadelphia article was written in the last days of 2025 (it gives homicides 'as of Tuesday night'), so 906 is a near-year-end count that may not match the final tally.
76 New York City has as many police officers as all of Austria
Safety · ratio 0.967 (Austria ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium-high
- New York City figure
- 33,614 (FY2025 (June 30, 2025)). Source: NYPD uniformed officers, end of FY2025
Personnel (uniformed) 34,858 34,825 33,797 33,812 33,614 35,051 34,975 Neutral
- Definitions and caveats
- NYPD uniformed personnel at the end of fiscal 2025 from the Mayor's Management Report; Austria's Interior Ministry 2025 personnel figure ('over 32,500 Exekutivbedienstete') as reported by 5min.at. The alternate match is the Royal Navy and Royal Marines' regular strength, 32,520.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The MMR gives 33,614 uniformed NYPD personnel for fiscal 2025 and the Austrian article says over 32,500 police officers as of December 2025; 32,500 / 33,614 = 0.967. The Austrian figure is a rounded 'over 32,500' from a regional news site reporting the Interior Ministry's number.
77 New York City loses as many people to traffic crashes as all of Sweden
Safety · ratio 0.990 (Sweden ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- Definitions and caveats
- Department of Transportation's 2025 Vision Zero year-end release; Trafikanalys (Sweden's official transport statistics agency) release on 2025 road deaths. Ireland (185) is the backup.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. Both figures verified; 203 / 205 = 0.990. Sweden's official count excludes 42 further road deaths ruled suicides, which is the standard practice for its statistics.
78 New York City holds as many people in jail as Switzerland holds in all its prisons
Safety · ratio 0.982 (Switzerland ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 7,247 (fiscal 2026 to date, as of Jan. 1, 2026). Source: New York City jail average daily population
Between July and November 2025, the jail's population decreased by 8.36%. The average daily population to date is 7,247.
- Definitions and caveats
- Board of Correction report of January 2026, giving the fiscal 2026 average daily population to that date, against Switzerland's total prison population at Jan. 31, 2026 from World Prison Brief, citing the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. An earlier version used the fiscal 2025 average of 6,823, which a checker pointed out was a year-long average set against a single-day count from a later period.
- Blind fact-check
- AUTHOR-VERIFIED. Re-sourced after the double-check and verified directly: the Board of Correction's January 2026 report states 'The average daily population to date is 7,247', and World Prison Brief gives Switzerland 7,119 at 31 January 2026.
79 New York City answers as many 911 calls a year as all of North Carolina
Safety · ratio 0.938 (North Carolina ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 7.49 million (fiscal 2025). Source: NYPD 911 calls, fiscal 2025
911 calls (total) 7,404,903 7,612,535 7,949,885 7,997,267 7,492,892 * * Neutral *
- Definitions and caveats
- NYPD 911 calls in fiscal 2025 from the Mayor's Management Report, against calls answered by every emergency call centre in North Carolina, from the state's 911 Board. This replaces a comparison with Arizona's population.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. Both figures verify exactly, and the caveat already discloses the fiscal-year-to-June-2025 versus calendar-2025 mismatch between the two sides, so the reader isn't misled.
80 New York City makes as many arrests a year as Buffalo has people
Safety · ratio 0.984 (Buffalo ÷ New York City) · confidence: medium
- Comparison figure
- 274,613 (July 1, 2025 (Census Vintage 2025)). Source: Population of Buffalo
Buffalo city, New York: POPESTIMATE2025 274,613 (POPESTIMATE2024 275,322)
- Definitions and caveats
- Row count of 2025 arrests in the NYPD Arrests Data (Historic) dataset on NYC Open Data, all ages; Buffalo's population in the Census Bureau's own Vintage 2025 file. An earlier version used a third-party aggregator's Vintage 2024 figure of 276,854; the Bureau's newer estimate has Buffalo shrinking.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED WITH CAVEAT. The NYC side is a solid, live first-party query, but the Buffalo figure comes from a private demographics aggregator rather than the Census Bureau directly, and a newer official Census estimate shows Buffalo's population has since fallen rather than matching the figure used; recomputing with it moves the ratio from 0.9925 to about 0.984. Buffalo's figure was read from the Census Bureau's own Vintage 2025 city file (274,613), replacing a third-party aggregator.
Contradicting figure found: The Census Bureau's own Vintage 2025 city population estimates (released 2026) put Buffalo's population as of July 1, 2025 at 274,613, about 2,200 lower than the 276,854 figure used here -- and it comes from Census.gov directly rather than a private aggregator site.
What was changed: Re-sourced to the Census Bureau's own Vintage 2025 file, replacing a third-party aggregator; Buffalo's newer estimate is 274,613.
81 New York City sends an ambulance as many times a year as Philadelphia has people
Safety · ratio 0.974 (Philadelphia ÷ New York City) · confidence: high
- New York City figure
- 1.62 million (FY2025). Source: FDNY emergency medical incidents, FY2025
Emergency medical incidents (ambulances) 1,388,043 1,531,959 1,613,316 1,644,446 1,615,531 * * Up *
- Comparison figure
- 1.57 million (July 1, 2025 (Census Vintage 2025)). Source: Population of Philadelphia
Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania: POPESTIMATE2025 1,574,281 (POPESTIMATE2024 1,572,735)
- Definitions and caveats
- FDNY emergency medical incidents in fiscal 2025 from the Mayor's Management Report; Philadelphia's population in the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates.
- Blind fact-check
- CONFIRMED. The FDNY metric label, 'Emergency medical incidents (ambulances),' matches the claim's wording well, and both figures check out against their sources. A newer Census vintage exists but changes nothing meaningful. Philadelphia's figure was read from the Census Bureau's own Vintage 2025 city file (1,574,281).
Contradicting figure found: The Census Bureau's newer Vintage 2025 estimates list Philadelphia's population as 1,574,281 as of July 1, 2025 -- a negligible 365-person increase over the Vintage 2024 figure used, not enough to affect the story.
What was changed: Updated to the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate for Philadelphia.
Blind fact-check
Every pairing has been checked blind four times, by checkers given only the sentence, the two numbers, the two source links and the caveat a reader sees, with no access to the researcher's notes.
The first pass asked whether the numbers were on the pages and the arithmetic held; it caught two wrong numbers. The second was adversarial, and asked whether the sentence would mislead rather than merely whether the figure existed; it returned 17 verdicts of misleading and forced 31 changes. The third re-checked everything rewritten since. The fourth was a second independent audit, told that an earlier audit had already run and its job was to catch what that one missed. It found ten more problems.
The fourth pass caught these, among others. A caveat on the water line said the Central Park Reservoir is emptied every day; the reservoir was taken out of service in 1993 and supplies nobody. The property tax line used a forecast for a fiscal year barely two months old rather than the $35.49 billion actually collected the year before. The Met was compared on its fiscal year against a museum reporting a calendar year, when the same survey carried a matching figure for both. The water-main line, which an earlier pass had already corrected once, was corrected again in the opposite direction: Los Angeles splits its total into mainline and trunk line, and because New York City's figure does not split by diameter, the combined 7,341 miles is the like comparison rather than the 6,794 of mainline alone. The Eiffel Tower line rested on a pounds-to-tonnes conversion nothing disclosed. The economy line's source link opens Manhattan alone, a quarter of the figure printed beside it.
Where it stands: 30 confirmed outright, 41 confirmed with a caveat, 5 carrying a misleading verdict whose specific complaint has since been addressed, 3 changed after their last check and re-verified since, 2 re-sourced and checked directly. 8 entries record what was changed in response to a finding. Nothing is unverified.
Two pairings were removed rather than fixed. One compared the Staten Island Ferry with Sydney's, on an operator's undated fast fact covering part of that network. The other counted visitors to Central Park, where the Conservancy's "over 42 million" is an undated estimate it has published for years, with no turnstiles behind it and a more recent projection that would reverse the comparison.
Of the 81 pairings that remain, 69 compare the same measure on both sides, 9 stand a count against a population because no peer figure came within reach, and 3 set a length against a famous distance. Every unit conversion and derived total on the page was recomputed from first principles: the Great Wall's kilometres, Singapore's square kilometres, Munich's hectares, the Sanitation Department's pounds, the water department's gallons, the grid operator's gigawatt hours, and the four sums behind Hong Kong's buses, Istanbul's airports, the five boroughs' economy and the library outlets on both sides.
AI caution
And please read this AI caution. The concept, the choice of figures and the layout were the author's (a human). The research, coding and file handling were done by Anthropic's Claude Code under close direction. Every number was required to come from a fetched source page with a verbatim quote, and a second, independent pass re-checked each pairing blind against its sources. Risks of AI error remain. If you spot a wrong number, a stale figure or a better match, the author would like to hear it.