This report examines the state of poverty and disadvantage among New Yorkers in 2024. Poverty Tracker data shows that, in 2024, more than 1 in 4 New Yorkers (26%) lived in poverty — the highest rates since we began collecting data in 2012. When looking at the population that lived below 200% of the poverty line, these numbers were even higher, with over half of adults (56%) and over two in three children (69%) considered low-income. This is especially relevant because economic difficulty was not just limited to the domain of poverty; material hardship was more common than poverty in 2024. Half of adults and children were in families that experienced at least some form of material hardship in 2024, and roughly a quarter were in families that experienced at least on form of severe material hardship. In regards to health, 1 in 5 (20%) New Yorkers reported a health problem, such as a work-limiting health condition, and more than 1 in 4 (27%) experienced either a health problem or severe psychological distress. Altogether, half of New Yorkers (50%) experienced at least one form of disadvantage: poverty, severe hardship, or health problems. The continued prevalence of poverty and disadvantage in 2024 provides a clear example of the gaps in income that social policies can be designed to fill. While recent federal actions will narrow the impact of existing policies in coming years, there are also several opportunities at the state and local level to help offset this retrenchment. These policy options — ranging from supplementing SNAP benefits, to expanding the Housing Access Voucher Program, to funding health insurance coverage and permanently expanding the Empire State Child Tax Credit, among others — will guarantee a more secure safety net for New Yorkers, countering the consequences of recent federal action and potentially reversing the troubling rise in poverty documented in this report.
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SNAP RECIPIENTS IN NEW YORK CITY AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEDERAL CUTS TO SNAP
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