Mapping Income Inequality in New York

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio was elected on a platform of uniting the 'two cities' of New York, the haves and have-nots. To help in in this task BKLYNR has created five New York maps looking at the distribution of housing costs, income, inequality, and poverty in the city. Taking New York's Vitals uses data from the American Community Survey’s recently released 5 year estimates.

The first two maps in the series are heat maps looking at median rent costs and rent cost as a percentage of income at block level. The maps provide a good guide as to where New Yorkers are paying the most of their income in housing costs. The other three maps help provide an overview of where income inequality is highest in the city, disparities in income levels and where individuals are living below the poverty line.