Estimates of the original Micmac population vary between 3,000 and 30,000, with general consensus being somewhere around 20,000. European contact began early, and by 1620 epidemics had reduced the Micmac to less than 4,000. By 1760 their numbers had fallen to around 3,000, reaching a low point of 1,800 during in 1823. Precise counts have been difficult because of extensive intermarriage with the French population. Canada currently lists more than 16,000 registered Micmac, but their actual number in both Canada and the United States is much higher, perhaps as many as 25,000. Canada has 28 separate groups of Micmac, but only one Micmac tribe is recognized in the United States, the 500 member Aroostook Band of Micmac in northern Maine which received state recognition in 1973 with federal status following in 1991. Because of the 1794 Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States, the Micmac have the right to move freely back-and forth across the border. Many have chosen to leave the Canadian Maritimes in favor of the northeastern United States. Presently, more than 2,000 Micmac reside in the greater Boston area (making them one of the largest Native American groups in New England). Several hundred more live in New York City.
