Concentrated Poverty in New York City: An Analysis of the Changing Geographic Patterns of Poverty

Published April, 2012

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The concentrated poverty rate is the proportion of people in a specified geographic area who live in extreme-poverty neighborhoods, meaning more than 40% of people live below the federal poverty level.

CCC conducted an analysis of New York City neighborhood level poverty data and found that despite a decline in the number of extreme-poverty neighborhoods, concentrated poverty continues to be a serious problem for many communities. These communities are also burdened with high crime rates, poor health outcomes, and poor housing conditions.

CCC’s report includes maps showing the change in the concentrated poverty rate from 2000 to 2006-2010, and the share of poor people and poor children living in concentrated poverty neighborhoods by community district. For example, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, the concentrated poverty rate rose from 38.0 percent in 2000 to 43.2 percent from 2006 to 2010. In the South Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Hunts Point, over two-thirds (67.3 percent) of all residents and almost three-quarters (72.5 percent) of all children live in areas of extreme poverty.