Racial Inequality in NYC

New Yorkers are, on average, faring better than the average American. But when separated by race, not all New Yorkers have enjoyed the same level of well-being. Fifty years after the March on Washington, stark disparities within New York City persist along racial lines across a variety of indicators.

Our State of New York City's Housing & Neighborhoods 2012 report found that while NYC residents are--on average--faring better than the average American, disparities within the city along racial lines still remain. Here are a few key points from the report:

• In 2011, only 20.5% of black and 15% of Hispanic New Yorkers held four-year college degrees, compared to more than half of whites.
• Black New Yorkers were unemployed at more than twice the rate of white New Yorkers in 2011.
• In 2011, Asian renters in NYC were more than twice as likely as black renters and more than three times as likely as white renters to live in rental units defined as severely over-crowded.
• Infant mortality rates among black infants (8.1%) were greater than any other group in 2011, including white (3.1%), Hispanic (4.9%), and Asian (2.9%).
• In 2011, the homeownership rates among whites (41.5%) and Asians (37.7%) was twice that of Hispanic households (15.4%).

View the data and graphs for this "State of New Yorkers" section of our State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods 2012 report here: Full PDF

See the State of New York City’s Housing & Neighborhoods 2012 report for more data and analysis on New York City's housing and neighborhoods: http://furmancenter.org/research/sonychan