A recent report from the New York State Comptroller’s office says that nearly 14% of New Yorkers live in poverty, and the numbers are even higher in some cities, including Rochester.
According to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s report, New York’s poverty rate surpassed the national average for eight straight years. The report looks at poverty rates over the last decade, through 2021.
DiNapoli said that while economic hardships existed long before the pandemic, it deepened the financial stress experienced by many households.
Maria Doulis is the state’s Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Policy Analysis, and said that people of color and some other households logged some of the worst poverty rates in the state.
“What we find, when we look at certain demographics is that for some demographics, the stresses are much more intense,” said Doulis. “So for example, Black and Hispanic New Yorkers have poverty rates that are almost twice the rate of white New Yorkers; those who are disabled are disproportionately in poverty.”
Doulis also said the report showed that more than one in four New Yorkers with less than a high school degree experienced poverty, which is a rate about five times greater than those with college degrees. And said noted that, “these are issues that persist and have been around since before the pandemic.”
Rochester had one of the higher poverty rates in the state, nearly 28% last year. The Comptroller’s report recommends that support programs used to help people during the worst of the pandemic be continued, if they have been shown to help reduce poverty.
“I think there’s just a stunning case here for expansion of the child care tax credit to keep kids out of poverty, because we know they are also in poverty at higher rates, generally than the average,” said Doulis. “So this is kind of a critical moment, and the report concludes saying that, here’s the evidence that this works and it’s something that should be continued.”
