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Study reveals 1 in 4 NYC children live in poverty

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Published  February 22, 2024 4:16pm EST
Economy
FOX 5 NY

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NEW YORK - A new study exposed the dark realities of adults and children living in poverty in New York City. 

The most staggering statistic: one in four children lived in poverty in 2022, according to the study by  Columbia University and Robin Hood.

The report also showed that the number of New Yorkers living in poverty increased by half a million in that same year.

  (Poverty Tracker Research Group at Columbia University (2024). The State of Poverty and Disadvantage in New York City, Volume 6. Robin Hood)

The research focused on the impact of pandemic-era financial assistance on New Yorkers in poverty and the lack thereof.

New York Poverty Rates

In 2022, nearly 500,000 more New Yorkers lived in poverty than the year prior. 

Here are some other concerning statistics from the findings in 2022:

  • More than 23% of adult New Yorkers and 25% of children in New York City lived in poverty
  • More than 56% of New Yorkers had incomes below the poverty line, with 33% classified as having low incomes
  • New Yorkers with incomes below the poverty line were twice as likely to experience difficulty paying for housing, energy and telephone bills, and food
  • Nearly 9% of adults and 31% of children experienced material hardship
  • Nearly a quarter of adult New Yorkers experienced a health problem or having a work-limiting health condition.
  • More than half of adult New Yorkers faced at least one form of disadvantage (poverty, material hardship, or health problems)

 

A file image shows a homeless person holding up a sign on a sidewalk. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Corbis via Getty Images)

Poverty assistance in NYC 

The report also showed how many pandemic-era policy interventions helped to stabilize adult and child poverty rates at record lows in New York City. 

At the turn of the pandemic during the city's "return to normal" phase, many low-income New Yorkers were left without adequate financial support.

Financial assistance like tax relief, stimulus checks, unemployment checks and rent forgiveness have since ended.

(Poverty Tracker Research Group at Columbia University (2024). The State of Poverty and Disadvantage in New York City, Volume 6. Robin Hood)

The study also showed how government transfers and tax credits kept almost 300,000 children and more than half a million adults above the poverty line in 2022.

The survey sampled 3,000 households in New York to track data on income, health and employment over three months. 

For more on the findings, read the full report here.