STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The poverty rate across New York City fell slightly over the past year, but despite the overall decrease, two boroughs saw their numbers rise.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates shows that 1,497,323 of the 8,331,991 residents in New York City, roughly 18%, are living in poverty.
In 2023, the 1,474,343 residents living in poverty represented roughly 18.2% of the 8,108,776 residents across the city.
While there are now roughly 23,000 more people living in poverty, the poverty rate has declined because the increase in the number of those living in poverty was outweighed by the overall increase in population.
The decrease in the citywide poverty rate was driven by declines in three boroughs, with Staten Island seeing the most significant drop of any.
On Staten Island, the number of residents living in poverty dropped from 63,877 to 54,767, with the rate falling more than two percentage points, from 13.2% in 2023 to 11.1% in 2024.
Manhattan saw the second-largest decrease in poverty rate, from 16.5% to 15.6%. The total number of residents living in poverty also fell from 255,043 to 249,947.
The smallest decrease occurred in Queens, where the poverty rate went from 13.7% to 13.3%. Despite the decrease in rate, the total number of Queens residents living in poverty increased from 304,271 to 305,104.
Brooklyn saw an increase in both the number of residents living in poverty and its poverty rate. In 2023, there were 481,891 Brooklynites living in poverty, representing 19% of the borough’s population. In 2024, the poverty rate increased to 19.2%, with the total number of those living in poverty increasing to 496,364.
The Bronx had the most significant increase in poverty rate, increasing nearly a full percentage point from 27.9% in 2023 to 28.8% in 2024. The number of residents living in poverty also increased significantly, from 369,261 to 391,151, representing an increase of nearly 22,000.