CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGING GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF POVERTY

CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN APRIL 2012

The most recent recession has had a devastating impact on some of New York City’s most vulnerable populations. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, since 2008 the number of people living below the federal poverty level in New York City grew by more than 120,000, to over 1.6 million in 2010. Also in 2010, one in three of the City’s children lived in poverty up from one in four just two years prior. For many of New York City’s poor, the daily struggle to meet their basic needs is compounded by living in overwhelmingly poor neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, communal resources are scarce and residents often face other significant obstacles to prosperity, such as a dearth of employment and educational opportunities, high crime rates, and poor housing quality. To better understand the scale and impact of this issue, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Inc. (CCC) conducted an analysis of New York City neighborhood-level poverty data. Our findings, detailed below, suggest that despite a decline in the number of extreme-poverty neighborhoods and the share of people who live in them, concentrated poverty continues to be a serious problem for many communities.1 It is well-documented that for the residents of very poor neighborhoods, the burdens of individual poverty are amplified. The obstacles they face may include high crime rates, poor health outcomes, reduced private investments, limited educational and job opportunities, and poor housing conditions.2 CCC recognizes the cumulative effect of such risk factors on the lives of children in the “community risk rankings” found in our Keeping Track of New York City’s Children publication.3 DEFINITIONS Extreme-poverty neighborhoods are defined as neighborhoods with more than 40 percent of the population living below the federal poverty level and are measured geographically using the Census tract.

Concentrated poverty refers to the prevalence of poor people4 living in “extreme-poverty” neighborhoods.

The concentrated poverty rate measures the share of poor people within a specified geographic area who live in these extreme-poverty neighborhoods. Citywide, concentrated poverty has declined in the past decade, but a large number of New Yorkers still lives in extreme poverty. The share of poor people living in extreme poverty neighborhoods in New York City declined from 25.9 percent in 2000 to 19.6 percent for the 2006 to 2010 period, a reduction of 24.1 percent. For children, gains were not quite as great; the share of poor children in concentrated poverty areas dropped 20.9 percent, from 31.9 percent to 25.2 percent during the same time period. These declines in the concentrated poverty rates may optimistically suggest that anti-poverty campaigns have had some successes in fighting poverty in the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, but this conclusion should be cautiously drawn as the problems of poverty and concentrated poverty do persist in New York City. Citywide, more than 298,000 poor people, including about 124,000 poor children, live in extreme poverty neighborhoods. Overall, one in every ten children in New York City lives in a neighborhood where the poverty rate exceeds 40 percent. 1 This analysis was modeled after a Brookings Institute policy brief: Elizabeth Kneebone, Carey Nadeau, and Alan Berube, The Re-Emergence of Concentrated Poverty: Metropolitan Trends in the 2000s, The Brookings Institute: November 2011. (https://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/1103_poverty_kneebone_nadeau_berube.aspx) 2 See Kneebone et al, p. 2 for a fuller discussion of these and other obstacles related to concentrated poverty, as well as citations to scholarly literature. 3 See Citizens’ Committee for Children, Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, 2010, pp. 30-32 (or online at http://www.cccnewyork.org/aboutkt.html) for more on Community District risk rankings. 4 The term “poor people” refers to individuals with incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2010 the average FPL for a family of four was $22,314. See http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/methods/definitions.html for more information on Census poverty definitions and thresholds.

CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY  

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York  2

Concentrated poverty continues to be a serious problem for many New York City neighborhoods. While the citywide concentrated poverty rate has declined, improvements have not been experienced consistently across the City’s neighborhoods. Indeed, in eight communities, the concentrated poverty rates rose between 2000 and the 2006-2010 period by at least two percentage points. (See Figure 1.) For example, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (labeled 303 on Figure 1), the concentrated poverty rate rose from 38.0 percent in 2000 to 43.2 percent in 2006-2010. According to the most recent data, nearly one-third (29.0 percent) of Bedford Stuyvesant’s total population lived in extreme poverty areas, where more than half of the residents earned less than the federal

CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY  

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York  3

poverty level (about $22,000 for a family of four in 2010). More than half (54.1 percent) of poor children and 42.2 percent of all children lived in these extreme poverty areas within this community. Alternatively, for neighborhoods where the concentrated poverty rates have fallen, the most recent data are in many cases even more troubling. For example, in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Hunts Point (labeled 201/202 on Figure 1), the concentrated poverty rate fell 4.4 percentage points between 2000 and 2006-2010, but that was from a starting point of 78.6 percent. Over two-thirds (67.3 percent) of all residents and almost three-quarters (72.5 percent) of all children in these communities lived in areas of extreme poverty in 2006-2010.

In fact, while most communities in the Bronx saw their concentrated poverty rates decline between 2000 and 2006-2010, many still struggle with concentrated poverty rates of greater than 45 percent. (See Figure 2 and Appendix A for concentrated poverty rates for children and adults by neighborhood.) Nearly a quarter (24.1 percent) of the Bronx’s over 1.3 million residents lived in extreme poverty areas in 2006-2010; those 320,000 people represent over half of all City residents living in extreme poverty neighborhoods. Concentrated poverty disproportionately impacts Black and Latino communities. As is the case with poverty in New York City, concentrated poverty is more prevalent in communities with majority Black and Latino populations. Of the seven community districts with concentrated poverty rates of greater than 50 percent, all but one (Williamsburg/Greenpoint) have majority Black or Latino populations. One-third (33.0 percent) of all poor people living in extreme poverty neighborhoods are Black and about one half (49.9 percent) are Latino. Meanwhile, Blacks and Latinos make up just over one-fifth and just under one-third of the general population respectively. (See Figure 3.)

CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY  

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York  4

The full impact of the most recent recession on the City’s concentrated poverty remains to be seen. Limitations in the data used for this analysis may result in understating the prevalence of concentrated poverty in New York City. The most recent data available at the Census tract level reports an average of five years (2006-2010) of survey responses about household income. This time period included years of both economic boon and recession. Since New York City’s poverty rate continued to decline through 2008, when it hit a low of 18.2 percent (26.5 percent for children) before rising again to near-2000 levels, it is likely that the five-year averages do not fully reflect the impact of the recession, particularly in neighborhoods that have been hardest hit, such as many in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn.5 This report was prepared by Courtney Wolf, Policy Associate for Research and Data Analysis.

5 For a detailed discussion of the limitations of the five-year data in this context, see Kneebone et al, p. 4.

Poverty Rate # Share # Share

20.1% 1,621,327    30.0% 522,955     25.9% 19.6% 208,570        11.9% 124,376        25.2%

16.4% 254,289        22.1% 51,039       19.7% 11.3% 16,157           6.8% 9,610             15.4%101/102 Battery Park/Tribeca/Greenwich Village 9.9% 14,107          7.5% 1,178          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐103 Lower East Side 22.2% 34,766          30.9% 6,929          16.2% 15.2% 3,159             13.8% 1,955             23.4%

104/105 Chelsea/Clinton/Midtown 11.7% 15,338          14.7% 1,526          4.6% 3.0% ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐106 Murray Hill/Stuyvesant 7.0% 10,049          7.1% 988             5.0% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐107 Upper West Side 10.4% 20,430          6.5% 2,033          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐108 Uepper East Side 6.8% 14,637          2.4% 729             ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐109 Manhattanville 28.7% 35,636          38.5% 8,871          5.2% 12.8% 2,184             10.5% 1,387             17.3%110 Central Harlem 28.1% 35,192          35.8% 9,006          41.6% 28.5% 6,443             23.5% 3,917             39.1%111 East Harlem 30.8% 34,595          44.2% 10,239       58.7% 24.9% 4,075             14.1% 2,211             18.0%112 Washington Heighhts 19.5% 39,539          26.5% 9,540          12.1% 1.4% 296                 0.7% 140                 0.9%

30.2% 408,584        43.0% 155,620     51.4% 39.5% 103,994        28.5% 61,663           42.0%201/202 Mott Haven/Hunts Point 41.1% 58,624          54.1% 23,117       78.6% 74.2% 30,222           68.6% 17,845           72.5%203/206 Morrisania/East Tremont 43.5% 67,963          58.6% 29,121       84.8% 65.3% 27,520           58.2% 16,650           66.2%204 Concourse/Highbridge 35.0% 50,740          46.4% 18,943       67.0% 45.8% 16,176           40.9% 9,451             49.7%205 University Heights 40.0% 53,621          52.5% 21,395       60.7% 55.6% 19,845           48.7% 11,871           57.7%207 Fordham 32.7% 39,950          41.4% 13,861       26.6% 28.1% 7,890             22.8% 4,298             28.6%208 Riverdale 18.5% 19,264          28.5% 5,893          10.9% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐209 Unionport/Soundview 25.4% 46,261          33.1% 15,571       40.3% 8.7% 2,323             4.9% 1,530             9.7%210 Throgs Neck 16.4% 17,557          37.4% 7,549          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐211 Pelham Parkway 21.1% 25,553          29.3% 8,445          0.2% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐212 Williamsbridge 21.2% 29,051          31.0% 11,725       14.5% 0.2% 18                   ‐ 18                   0.2%

23.0% 571,936        34.0% 198,536     25.2% 20.5% 82,918           14.1% 49,511           26.5%301 Williamsburg/Greenpoint 26.5% 38,744          40.9% 13,217       56.8% 54.3% 19,919           58.7% 12,076           74.8%302 Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights 18.1% 22,024          22.8% 4,611          31.2% 16.5% 2,164             11.2% 1,402             27.0%303 Bedford Stuyvesant 30.7% 40,795          47.0% 16,204       38.0% 43.2% 15,721           42.2% 9,981             54.1%304 Bushwick 28.5% 39,782          42.0% 14,084       37.7% 16.7% 4,518             13.1% 2,542             17.5%305 East New York 36.0% 52,475          49.1% 20,739       26.5% 24.4% 7,266             16.7% 4,314             25.2%306 Park Slope 11.3% 13,398          13.3% 3,311          26.2% 30.6% 2,539             12.3% 1,371             50.0%307 Sunset Park 26.7% 36,862          33.4% 10,167       ‐ 4.5% 1,279             3.8% 792                 7.2%308 Crown Heights North 25.9% 30,383          42.5% 10,590       21.0% 13.4% 3,104             11.3% 1,670             17.1%309 Crown Heights South 25.6% 27,015          36.7% 9,013          ‐ 3.1% ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐310 Bat Ridge 15.3% 21,051          22.6% 6,436          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐311 Bensonhurst 14.0% 22,838          20.1% 6,290          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐312 Borough Park 32.2% 54,099          44.7% 25,756       19.6% 19.0% 7,649             13.8% 4,415             20.4%313 Coney Island 28.0% 28,735          39.4% 8,140          43.0% 2.2% 50                   0.3% 50                   0.9%314 Flatbush/Midwood 22.4% 36,246          31.8% 13,039       ‐ 3.0% 467                 1.2% 239                 2.1%315 Sheepshead Bay 13.7% 18,319          19.0% 4,515          9.8% 12.2% 1,322             4.8% 741                 15.6%316 Brownsville 39.8% 44,756          53.4% 17,903       67.6% 54.1% 14,651           42.9% 8,569             53.5%317 East Flatbush 15.4% 21,316          20.6% 6,860          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐318 Canarsie 11.4% 23,098          16.1% 7,661          13.9% 17.3% 2,269             4.5% 1,349             19.7%

Appendix A: Poverty & Concentrated Poverty: New York City, by Borough, and by Community District

Poverty, 2010 Concentrated Poverty Rates Children in Concentrated Poverty, 2006‐2010

# of Poor People

Child Poverty Rate

# of Poor Children 2000 2006‐2010

All Children Poor Children

New York City

Manhattan

Bronx

Brooklyn

Poverty Rate # Share # Share

15.0% 332,165        21.8% 99,291       3.7% 2.5% 4,982             1.1% 3,277             4.0%401 Astoria/Long Island City 19.0% 31,618          30.2% 8,477          18.9% 6.9% 1,030             3.7% 758                 10.1%402 Sunnyside/Woodside 12.2% 15,093          18.5% 3,775          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐403 Jackson Heights 22.4% 37,935          34.1% 12,581       ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐404 Elmhurst/Corona 19.2% 25,920          26.3% 7,175          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐405 Ridgewood/Glendale 17.1% 30,888          26.5% 11,054       ‐ 2.6% 331                 0.9% 187                 2.9%406 Rego Park/Forest Hills 9.7% 11,049          12.3% 2,607          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐407 Flushing 14.3% 36,302          14.5% 6,337          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐408 Fresh Meadows/Briarwood 13.7% 18,566          18.7% 5,271          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐409 Woodhaven 13.1% 17,662          19.7% 5,787          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐410 Howard Beach 11.6% 15,635          18.1% 4,975          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐411 Bayside 7.3% 8,693            8.2% 1,941          0.2% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐412 Jamaica/St. Albans 18.8% 41,273          28.2% 14,342       2.0% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐413 Queens Village 7.1% 14,557          8.8% 3,679          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐414 The Rockaways 22.4% 26,974          33.4% 11,290       16.5% 20.3% 3,621             12.1% 2,332             27.6%

11.8% 54,353          17.1% 18,469       9.0% 1.7% 519                 0.5% 315                 2.0%501 Willowbrook 17.9% 30,277          26.2% 11,112       15.5% 2.8% 519                 1.2% 315                 3.1%502 South Beach 9.7% 12,643          12.6% 3,426          0.7% ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐503 Tottenville 7.0% 11,433          10.2% 3,931          ‐ ‐ ‐                 ‐ ‐                 ‐

Appendix A: Poverty & Concentrated Poverty: New York City, by Borough, and by Community District (Cont'd)

Poverty, 2010 Concentrated Poverty Rates Children in Concentrated Poverty, 2006‐2010

All Children Poor Children

Queens

Staten Island

Sources: U.S. Census  Bureau, Decennial  Census  Summary File 3, 2000; U.S. Census  Bureau, American Community Survey 5‐year Estimates, 2010; U.S. Census  Bureau, American Community Survey 1‐Year Estimates, 2010; Citizens' Committee for Children analysis, 2012.

# of Poor People

Child Poverty Rate

# of Poor Children 2000 2006‐2010

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