As Poverty Rises in New York City, 1 in 4 Cant Afford Essentials

A quarter of New York City residents don’t have enough money for staples like housing and food, and many say they cannot afford to go to the doctor, according to a report that underscores the urgency of an affordability crisis elected officials are struggling to confront.The report, by a research group at Columbia University and Robin Hood, an anti-poverty group, found that the share of New Yorkers in poverty was nearly double the national average in 2023 and had increased by seven percentage points in just two years.The spike is in part due to the expiration of government aid that was expanded during the pandemic.Gov.Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, appearing to recognize that discontent about the high cost of living could imperil their political futures, have focused their agendas and re-election hopes partly on conveying to voters that they are trying to make New York more affordable.

It is a formidable task, said Richard Buery Jr., the chief executive of Robin Hood.The city “has so much wealth but also so much need,” he said.He added, “These are entirely human-made problems.”The report is part of a roughly 13-year-study that surveys a representative sample of more about 3,000 households in New York City.

Researchers use a different metric than the federal government to measure poverty, taking into account income, noncash support like tax credits and the local cost of living.Under that metric, the poverty threshold for a couple with two children in a rental household in New York City is now $47,190.The study found that 58 percent of New Yorkers, or more than 4.8 million people, were in families with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line — about $94,000 for a couple with two children or $44,000 for a single adult.

Poverty rates among Black, Latino and Asian residents were about twice as high as the rate for white residents, according to the report.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser...