Wet markets were common in New York City until refrigeration became commonplace in the 20th century. From the mid-1990s to 2020, the number of live animal wet markets in New York City nearly doubled. As of 2020, there are more than 80 wet markets in New York City that stock live animals and slaughter them on-demand for customers. They are mostly poultry markets located in outer-borough immigrant communities where they are culturally significant and pose low public health risks relative to wildlife markets and other types of exotic wet markets.