“New Study Reveals Nearly Half of Working-Age New Yorkers Struggle to Make Ends Meet”

Half of working-age New Yorkers, nearly three million people, do not earn enough money to cover their basic needs, according to a latest study on the cost of living in the Big Apple released today.

The report, prepared by the organization United Way of New York City, highlights that living conditions have deteriorated in the city as a result of the “profound impact of the covid-19 pandemic”, which is reflected in the fact that the number of people who do not meet their needs has grown by 38% in the last two years.

In total, the study indicates that almost 1,300,000 households or three million people suffer to make ends meet in the city of skyscrapers, whose population is around 8.5 million people.

“This report coincides with a critical time for community support organizations because it helps us gain a fuller understanding of how many New Yorkers are profoundly affected by rising economic insecurity, and more specifically, where they are most needed. services,” said Association president Grace Bonilla.

The study, in which several universities and organizations have collaborated, takes a detailed analysis of the basic products of the shopping basket and determines the income necessary to buy these products in relation to wages, to whether people receive aid funds or the neighborhood in which they live.

For the president of the Fund for the City of New York, Lisette Nieves, who participates in the study: “New York City cannot afford to maintain its status quo, when 50% of households with people of working age suffer to make ends meet”.

The report points out that the highest rates of families with difficulties making ends meet are registered in the district of The Bronx, specifically its central area, as well as in parts of the district of Brooklyn such as Brownsville and Ocean Hill.

Latin American New Yorkers suffer the most from this situation, with 65% of working-age Latinos experiencing difficulties in meeting their basic needs, followed by Native Americans, Africans and Asian New Yorkers.

At the other extreme, 32% of New Yorkers of European origin suffer from these difficulties.

The association recommends as the first measure to combat economic insecurity in the five districts the improvement of salaries for these workers, as well as the improvement of their access to social assistance and affordable housing.

By type of family, 80% of single mothers with children do not make ends meet, while 69% of single fathers with children also suffer to meet their basic needs.