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Surprise! NYC Has The Widest Income Gap Of Any City In America
By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 19, 2013
Modified Sep 19, 2013
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 19, 2013
Modified Sep 19, 2013
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Bill de Blasio (Alternate names: Blaz, BDB) is going to have his work cut out for him in the event that he's elected the city's next mayor—New York City has the widest income gap between rich and poor than any other city in America. Duh.
New Terrifically obvious data released this morning from the American Community Survey says the disparity between rich and poor New Yorkers outpaces the rest of the country, with poverty having skyrocketed by 21.2 percent from 2012, leaving a total of 1.7 million New Yorkers newly poor. New Orleans and Miami trail behind with the second and third highest disparities.
Manhattan alone has the widest gap of any county in the country, with the mean income of the lowest fifth at $9,635, compared with $389,007 in the top fifth. In the city overall, the mean income of the lowest fifth was $8,993, and the highest fifth was $222,871.
The median household income in the metro area was $63,982 in 2012, mostly unchanged since 2011. The median household income in the U.S. was $53,607.
The data also reveals that poverty is higher among blacks and Hispanics, and 32 percent of single-parent families fall below the poverty line, as does 19 percent of those 65 and older. Sift through the numbers yourself here while you're waiting to hear from your broker about that $1,275-a-month 100-square-foot apartment.
Tagged
census
income disparity
poverty
Lauren Evans
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