State of the City 2019
DEMOGRAPHICS
In 2018, there were about 162,381 people in Greenpoint/Williamsburg, with 6.1% of the population identified as Asian, 3.9% identified as black, 20.7% identified as Hispanic, and 65.9% identified as white. Median household income in 2018 was $81,990, about 26% more than citywide median household income ($64,850). The poverty rate in Greenpoint/Williamsburg was 23.7% in 2018 compared to 17.3% citywide.
HOUSING
Renters
Real median gross rent in Greenpoint/Williamsburg increased from $1,030 in 2006 to $1,880 in 2018. In 2018, 26.7% of renter households in Greenpoint/Williamsburg were severely rent burdened (spent more than 50% of household income on rent). 21.8% of the rental units are affordable at the 80% Area Median Income, 15 percentage points lower than the share in 2010. 6.6% of the rental units are public housing rental units in 2018. The overall rental vacancy rate in Greenpoint/Williamsburg was 2.6%.
Homeowners
In 2018, the homeownership rate in Greenpoint/Williamsburg was 15.8%, lower than the citywide share of 32.8%. The homeownership rate in the neighborhood has decreased by 1.9 percentage points since 2010. In 2018, the home purchase loan rate was 21.7 per 1,000 properties (owner-occupied 1-4 family buildings, condominiums, or cooperative apartments) and the refinance loan rate was 10.2 per 1,000 properties in the neighborhood. 79 properties had a filing of mortgage foreclosure in Greenpoint/Williamsburg in 2018. There were 4.2 mortgage foreclosure actions initiated per 1,000 1-4 family properties and condominium units.
Development
In 2019, there were 568 units authorized by new residential building permits, which is 6.0% of total new units in Brooklyn, and 2.1% of the citywide total, in Greenpoint/Williamsburg. Department of Buildings issued new certificates of occupancy to 1,984 residential units in new buildings in Greenpoint/Williamsburg last year, 488 less than the number of units certified in 2018.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND CONDITIONS
In 2019, 57.8% of 4th grade students attending schools in Greenpoint/Williamsburg performed at grade level in math, compared to 52.3% in Brooklyn, and 49.4% citywide; 54.6% of Greenpoint/Williamsburg 4th graders performed at grade level in English language arts, compared to 51.2% in Brooklyn, and 49.6% citywide. The serious crime rate was 11.4 serious crimes per 1,000 residents in 2019, compared to 11.3 serious crimes per 1,000 residents citywide.
| Indicator | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 | 2019 | Rank (2000) | Rank (18/19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||||||
| Born in New York State | 50.8% | 52.0% | 51.8% | 16 | |||
| Disabled population | 5.0% | 5.9% | 35 | ||||
| Foreign-born population | 33.5% | 29.1% | 25.8% | 20.0% | 32 | 51 | |
| Population | 142,098 | 141,513 | 146,253 | 162,381 | |||
| Population aged 65+ | 9.9% | 12.5% | 9.1% | 9.4% | 35 | 52 | |
| Households | |||||||
| Households with children under 18 years old | 35.0% | 24.2% | 25.2% | 23.9% | 32 | 45 | |
| Single-person households | 35.0% | 31.3% | 27.3% | 35 | |||
| Race and Ethnicity | |||||||
| Percent Asian | 3.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 6.1% | 35 | 36 | |
| Percent Black | 4.0% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 40 | 40 | |
| Percent Hispanic | 34.1% | 26.8% | 30.0% | 20.7% | 19 | 31 | |
| Percent white | 52.5% | 64.0% | 60.7% | 65.9% | 17 | 7 | |
| Racial diversity index | 0.61 | 0.52 | 0.54 | 0.52 | 21 | 41 | |
| Income and Poverty | |||||||
| Income diversity ratio | 7.0 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 5 | |||
| Median household income (2019$) | $42,430 | $40,720 | $48,360 | $81,990 | 45 | 13 | |
| Median household income, homeowners (2019$) | $64,490 | $83,550 | $127,140 | 11 | |||
| Median household income, renters (2019$) | $36,220 | $42,830 | $74,440 | 9 | |||
| Poverty rate | 33.8% | 35.2% | 26.5% | 23.7% | 11 | 15 | |
| Poverty rate, population aged 65+ | 26.5% | 28.7% | 29.5% | 10 | |||
| Poverty rate, population under 18 years old | 58.2% | 40.9% | 40.9% | 6 | |||
| Labor Market | |||||||
| Labor force participation rate | 57.7% | 66.4% | 71.4% | 6 | |||
| Population aged 25+ without a high school diploma | 32.7% | 21.1% | 17.5% | 29 | |||
| Unemployment rate | 9.77% | 6.13% | 8.20% | 2.45% | 26 | 55 | |
| Indicator | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 | 2019 | Rank (2000) | Rank (18/19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Stock | |||||||
| Homeownership rate | 14.5% | 18.1% | 17.7% | 15.8% | 44 | 44 | |
| Housing units | 55,769 | 65,586 | 71,130 | 12 | |||
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.0% | 2.6% | 34 | ||||
| Serious housing code violations (per 1,000 privately owned rental units) | 23.3 | 29.3 | 28.5 | 45.0 | 36 | ||
| Severe crowding rate (% of renter households) | 9.7% | 3.8% | 27 | ||||
| Total housing code violations (per 1,000 privately owned rental units) | 130.3 | 131.3 | 173.6 | 196.8 | 34 | ||
| Finance - Distress | |||||||
| Notices of foreclosure rate (per 1,000 1-4 family and condo properties) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 11.9 | 4.2 | 35 | 38 | |
| Notices of foreclosure, all residential properties | 56 | 70 | 211 | 79 | 33 | 29 | |
| Notices of foreclosure, initial, 1-4 family and condo properties | 27 | 37 | 143 | 32 | 39 | 28 | |
| Notices of foreclosure, repeat, 1-4 family and condo properties | 7 | 14 | 25 | 36 | 40 | 30 | |
| Pre-foreclosure notice rate (per 1,000 1-4 family and condo properties) | 20.7 | 17.2 | 48 | ||||
| Pre-foreclosure notices, 1-4 family and condo properties | 339 | 281 | 31 | ||||
| Properties entering REO, 1-4 family | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |||
| Finance - Lending | |||||||
| FHA/VA-backed home purchase loans (% of home purchase loans) | 0.0% | 17.3% | 0.2% | 40 | |||
| Higher-cost home purchase loans (% of home purchase loans) | 0.0% | 0.4% | |||||
| Higher-cost refinance loans (% of refinance loans) | 0.0% | 1.7% | |||||
| Home purchase loan rate (per 1,000 properties) | 40.1 | 40.4 | 21.7 | 20 | |||
| Home purchase loans in LMI tracts (% of home purchase loans) | 59.5% | 48.3% | 24.2% | 34 | |||
| Home purchase loans to LMI borrowers (% of home purchase loans) | 2.4% | 4.8% | 2.4% | 47 | |||
| Refinance loan rate (per 1,000 properties) | 23.1 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 30 | |||
| Sales - Volume | |||||||
| Sales volume, 1 family building | 12 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 43 | 48 | |
| Sales volume, 2-4 family building | 131 | 163 | 74 | 120 | 36 | 31 | |
| Sales volume, 5+ family building | 63 | 80 | 53 | 60 | 5 | 3 | |
| Sales volume, all property types | 278 | 997 | 900 | 744 | 40 | 10 | |
| Sales volume, condominium | 72 | 738 | 761 | 554 | 15 | 5 | |
| Sales - Median Prices | |||||||
| Median sales price per unit, 1 family building (2019$) | $354,610 | $737,110 | $769,130 | $1,840,000 | 26 | 13 | |
| Median sales price per unit, 2-4 family building (2019$) | $159,940 | $356,460 | $320,940 | $735,620 | 39 | 12 | |
| Median sales price per unit, 5+ family building (2019$) | $56,230 | $154,980 | $142,010 | $349,480 | 41 | 11 | |
| Median sales price per unit, condominium (2019$) | $397,840 | $626,120 | $575,990 | $962,000 | 10 | 12 | |
| Sales - Housing Price Index | |||||||
| Index of housing price appreciation, 1 family building | 100.0 | 237.7 | 275.7 | 545.8 | 1 | 6 | |
| Index of housing price appreciation, 2-4 family building | 100.0 | 274.0 | 227.7 | 708.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| Index of housing price appreciation, 5+ family building | 100.0 | 285.8 | 335.3 | 792.5 | 1 | 9 | |
| Index of housing price appreciation, all property types | 100.0 | 262.2 | 236.1 | 487.4 | 1 | 5 | |
| Index of housing price appreciation, condominium | 100.0 | 327.4 | 411.6 | 1 | 11 | ||
| Subsidized Housing | |||||||
| Total number of subsidized properties (properties) | 326 | 14 | |||||
| HUD Financing or Insurance (properties) | 4 | 20 | |||||
| HUD Financing or Insurance (units) | 1,436 | 2 | |||||
| HUD Project-based Rental Assistance Program (properties) | 15 | 15 | |||||
| HUD Project-based Rental Assistance Program (units) | 1,366 | 16 | |||||
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit (properties) | 32 | 17 | |||||
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit (units) | 3,512 | 15 | |||||
| Public Housing (properties) | 35 | 6 | |||||
| Public Housing (units) | 6,896 | 12 | |||||
| Mitchell-Lama (properties) | 11 | 8 | |||||
| Mitchell-Lama (units) | 4,021 | 8 | |||||
| 421-a Tax Exemption (properties) | 324 | 1 | |||||
| 421-a Tax Exemption (units) | 8,445 | 2 | |||||
| 420-c Tax Exemption (properties) | 59 | 12 | |||||
| 420-c Tax Exemption (units) | 1,321 | 18 | |||||
| NYC Housing Production Programs and Zoning Incentives or Requirements (properties) | 154 | 13 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs between 2020 and 2025 (properties) | 11 | 13 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs between 2020 and 2025 (units) | 404 | 27 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs between 2026 and 2035 (properties) | 15 | 16 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs between 2026 and 2035 (units) | 1,096 | 22 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs in 2036 and later (properties) | 25 | 16 | |||||
| Eligible to expire from housing programs in 2036 and later (units) | 6,100 | 4 | |||||
| Indicator | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 | 2019 | Rank (2000) | Rank (18/19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | |||||||
| Population density (1,000 persons per square mile) | 34.3 | 35.5 | 39.4 | 29 | |||
| Development | |||||||
| Units authorized by new residential building permits | 757 | 1,570 | 228 | 1,097 | 568 | 6 | 16 |
| Units issued new certificates of occupancy | 114 | 942 | 2,487 | 2,472 | 1,984 | 26 | 1 |
| Indicator | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 | 2019 | Rank (2000) | Rank (18/19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commute | |||||||
| Car-free commute (% of commuters) | 76.6% | 79.3% | 85.2% | 85.0% | 13 | 11 | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes) | 35.3 | 33.4 | 31.5 | 34.6 | 48 | 49 | |
| Crime and Incarceration | |||||||
| Serious crime rate (per 1,000 residents) | 17.2 | 15.3 | 13.5 | 11.4 | 24 | ||
| Serious crime rate, property (per 1,000 residents) | 12.3 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 8.2 | 14 | ||
| Serious crime rate, violent (per 1,000 residents) | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 35 | ||
| Schools | |||||||
| Students performing at grade level in English language arts, 4th grade | 51.8% | 54.6% | 27 | ||||
| Students performing at grade level in math, 4th grade | 49.3% | 57.8% | 23 | ||||
| Indicator | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 | 2019 | Rank (2000) | Rank (18/19) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median Rent | |||||||
| Median rent, 2- and 3-bedrooms (2019$) | $1,210 | $1,720 | 13 | ||||
| Median rent, all (2019$) | $910 | $1,030 | $1,230 | $1,880 | 44 | 9 | |
| Median rent, recent movers (2019$) | $1,800 | $2,660 | 5 | ||||
| Median rent, studios and 1-bedrooms (2019$) | $1,230 | $1,940 | 8 | ||||
| Median rent, asking | $2,500 | $2,950 | 9 | ||||
| Affordability | |||||||
| Rental units affordable at 30% AMI (% of recently available units) | 7.6% | 5.6% | 24 | ||||
| Rental units affordable at 80% AMI (% of recently available units) | 36.9% | 21.8% | 41 | ||||
| Rental units affordable at 120% AMI (% of recently available units) | 74.3% | 50.7% | 41 | ||||
| Rent Burden | |||||||
| Moderately rent-burdened households | 24.8% | 21.9% | 22.3% | 39 | |||
| Moderately rent-burdened households, low income | 27.3% | 26.7% | 48 | ||||
| Moderately rent-burdened households, moderate income | 32.7% | 36.6% | 9 | ||||
| Severely rent-burdened households | 23.7% | 27.6% | 26.7% | 26 | 40 | ||
| Severely rent-burdened households, low income | 44.6% | 48.5% | 14 | ||||
| Severely rent-burdened households, moderate income | 4.2% | 8.4% | 6 | ||||
| Rental Subsidy | |||||||
| Housing choice vouchers (% of occupied, privately owned rental units) | 8.6% | 8.1% | 17 | ||||
| Public housing (% of rental units) | 6.6% | 27 | |||||
Data Notes: See Indicator Definitions, Rankings, and Methods for more information.
Indicators: The rental vacancy rate, severe crowding rate, and the severely rent-burdened households indicators use five-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates. Data under the 2010 heading comes from the 2006 – 2010 ACS and data under the 2018 heading comes from the 2014 – 2018 ACS.
Rankings: We report rankings out of all neighborhoods for which the indicator can be calculated. Rankings are listed for community districts, though some indicators are reported at the sub-borough area level.
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