Economic disparity has been climbing for the better part of a century. But since 2007, the divide has been starker than ever, with the richest .01 percent taking home 6 percent of the nation’s income, a figure that has practically doubled in the past decade, and the top 10 percent now controlling two thirds of Americans’ net worth. According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, New York City is home to one of the wealthiest—and the most impoverished—congressional districts in the country. Although NY 14, mostly Manhattan’s East Side, and NY 16, in the Bronx, are geographic neighbors, the two districts, in many other ways, couldn’t be farther apart. On the pages that follow, we sought to capture a picture of the state of income inequality today, as seen through perhaps its most glaring juxtaposition.
Crime statistics and 311 data are from reports by police precincts and community boards. Other statistics compiled from a combination of U.S. Census Bureau data, American Human Development Project reports, press releases from the Bloomberg offices, and in-house calculations.
THE NUMBERS
A statistical comparison of NY 14 and NY 16.
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TWO REPRESENTATIVES, ONE BAD ECONOMY
Representatives Carolyn Maloney and José Serrano on the impact of the recession, New York’s unemployment problem, and what would happen if they switched jobs. By Alex French
What’s the most mportant issue in your district?
Carolyn Maloney (Democrat, Fourteenth District): The economy and jobs.
José Serrano (Democrat, Sixteenth District):Whatever is happening nationwide always manifests itself much more dramatically in the South Bronx. Always has. When people are talking about 5 percent unemployment, we may be talking about 10 percent unemployment.
You differed on your votes for TARP.
Maloney: My friends who work on Wall Street were calling me all day long, practically screaming—they could see us going off the cliff. The TARP vote, in my opinion, evaded a great depression and instead gave us a great recession. If I had it to do over again, I would. It was probably the least popular vote that I ever took.
Serrano: I’m the only New Yorker who voted no. I felt, as I do now, that we had to be careful not to be bailing out the people who were responsible for the mess in the first place. I knew the people who live in the South Bronx weren’t going to get any kind of bailout.
How have budget cuts affected your agenda?
Maloney: I like infrastructure projects. I have the two largest construction projects in the entire country: the Second Avenue subway and the East Side connector. They were the only ones of their kind not to get hit with the budget ax.
Serrano: It’s a constant battle here to try not to cut programs dramatically. I could talk to you about that for about ten hours. In my district, I was able to get a lot of federal dollars for programs that trained and provided services for people and, at the same time, created a lot of jobs. Unfortunately, earmark became a bad word.
Your districts are right next to one another, but far apart economically. Whose fault is this disparity?
Maloney: A lot of the proposals now being put forth by the Republican majority will clearly make these disparities worse, not better. They’re talking about ending Medicare as we know it.
Serrano: Whose fault is it? This is not about blame. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go in that direction. It’s about getting people to understand that there are folks who need a boost. They’re willing to work, but we need to provide the opportunities.
If you swapped districts, how would your job change?
Maloney: I think it would be pretty similar. I’d wake up every morning and instruct my office to respond quickly and effectively to the individual concerns of my constituents.
Serrano:There are overcrowded schools, environmental issues, effects of the war. I don’t think it would be that different.
One Family’s $2,222.98 Is Another’s $539.50
A study in two household budgets for a single week. By Eric Benson
Nicole Dewey is the executive director of publicity at Little, Brown. Her husband, Bill Seely, is the V.P. of marketing analytics at Publicis Modem, a digital-ad agency. They have two sons, Declan, 2, and Trace, 5. They also have a full-time babysitter, Tova.
Monday
Nicole
Subway, $2.25
Coffee and banana, $2.30
Cosi, $9.80
Bill
Subway, $2.25
MetroCard refill, $50
Chelsea Thai, $10.50
Taxis, $21.50
Tuesday
Nicole
Salad and soda, $8.97
Mansion Restaurant, $37.50
Taxis, $30
Bill
Subway, $2.25
Taxi, $18.80
Tova (expenses for children)
Drink and chips, $3.50
Drinks and cookie, $6.10
Wednesday
Nicole
Small coffee and banana, $2.30
bánh mì sandwich, $7.25
Taxi, $15.70
Almond milk, bacon, bread, and grapes, Gristedes, $25.77
Bill
Subway, $2.25
Hale and Hearty Soup, $9.30
Taxis, $28.10
Tova
Pull-Ups, $12.99
Thursday
Nicole
Bus, $2.25
Cookies for assistant’s birthday, $17
Dentist, $125
Tea and almonds, Starbucks, $4.58
Bill
Subway, $2.25
Taxis, $44.60
Sound-therapy system for Trace, $246.95
Chinese food, $23.65
Tova
Snack, $3.20
Ice cream, $5.75
Friday
Nicole
Bus, $2.25
Salad and soda, $8.97
Taxi, $14.30
Bill
Subway, $2.25
Amy’s Bread, $5
Taxis, $23.65
Tova
Chips and drink, $3.50
Toilet paper, $5.43
Saturday
Nicole
Mansion Restaurant, $31
Drinks, York Grill, $19
Laundry and dry cleaning, $105.45
Weekend babysitter, $120
Monthly trip to Trader Joe’s, $221
Target, $280.41
Chico’s, $179.73
Dinner and dessert, Le Zie, $124.24
Taxis, $33.12
Buses, $4.50
Car service, $10
Bill
Snacks and drinks, 7-Eleven, $12.73
Sunday
Nicole
Mansion Restaurant, $36.65
Bill
Drinks, 7-Eleven, $9.14
Diner in Greenpoint, $30
Taxi, $11
Car rental for Mother’s Day trip, $142.80
Bus, $2.25
Weekly Total:$2,222.98
Solymar Arias is a student at Monroe College and a mother of two, son Elijah, 7, and daughter Ja’Leah, 1. Her mother, María Aquino, a school aide, lives with the family.
Monday
Solymar
Bagel and coffee, vending cart, $2.25
Fruit and water, Jerome Avenue Grill (the JAG) at Monroe College, $2.95
Banana, water, and Lay’s chips, Met Foods, $1.85
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
Mayo, spiced ham, Swiss cheese, hard salami, and turkey, Met Foods, $16.99
Tuesday
Solymar
Bagel and coffee, $2.25
Granola bar, water, and fruit, the JAG, $3.20
Banana, water, and SunChips, Met Foods, $1.85
Gallon of milk, $3.49
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
$0
Wednesday
Solymar
Bagel and coffee, $2.25
Water, yogurt, and granola, the JAG, $2.50
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
Sandwich and soda, El Valle, $6
Beef patties, milk, sugar, hot-dog rolls, bagels, and bread, Met Foods, $30.74
Thursday
Solymar
Bagel and coffee, $2.25
Macaroni and cheese, veggies, and teriyaki chicken, the JAG, $4.95
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
Coffee and oatmeal, McDonald’s, $4.51
Soup and soda, El Valle, $7
Shrimp-with-broccoli and soda, Chinese restaurant, $7.25
Friday
Solymar
Tortilla chips and soda, Met Foods, $6.24
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
$0
Saturday
Solymar and María
Monthly trip to BJ’s, including Pampers, baby wipes, paper towels, pancake mix, butter, beans, spring-mix salad, and Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs, $408.98
Solymar
Ice cream, Met Foods, $3
Elijah’s snack, $2
María
Ice cream, $3
Gallon of milk, $4
Sunday
Solymar and María
$0
Weekly Total:$539.50
The Unemployment Diaries
He’s a financial analyst who’s been on the job hunt for fourteen months. She’s a former caretaker who hasn’t had work for six years. As Told to Cole Louiso
NY14
Mitchell Weisenberg
Age 36
My last major role was as an equity analyst at Rockefeller Financial. Then, based on my skill set and what was needed at the firm, I was moved to the equity-trading room. It wasn’t a good fit; after several months, they let me go. At first, I felt a sense of relief to be getting out of there and not doing something I didn’t want to. Then it sunk in. I’m a people person, so not having a job, not having somewhere to go, just sitting in the kitchen—that was really hard.
Luckily, I got married recently, and there was a wedding that I had time to help plan. After that, I took several exams, including the Chartered Financial Analyst exam, an important credential for analysts. Once I started preparing for those, I felt a lot more optimistic. I was also able to find people in similar situations on message boards and found a study group. That camaraderie really saved me. I took the test about a week ago, so fingers crossed.
I’ve met with about 10* temp agencies and headhunters. It’s no fun to look for a job on the web. I sent my résumé to networks like Monster and company websites, which resulted in two interviews. That gets your spirits down, when you’re not getting a response. We’re definitely more conscientious about our spending and being wasteful. I have financial support from my family, and my wife is a therapist, so we have health insurance. But sometimes I think, How am I going to make this happen?
NY16
Roxanne Hunter
Age 53
I worked as a caretaker for a company that helps the mentally handicapped. You teach them goals. You teach them how to do things for themselves, like brushing their teeth and going to the store. I also worked with low-functioning adults. But things were going on there that shouldn’t have, and I wasn’t involved, but they let me go. I got into a similar company and passed all the tests and took their training and worked one day, and then they let me go. When I was younger, I did some time upstate. Once they took my fingerprints, they saw I had a felony.
It’s hard to get a job. They’re not supposed to discriminate, but they do. Before, I was going out every day. I went to about 100 places and filled out résumés. I even went to McDonald’s. “We’ll call you.” That type of thing.I collected unemployment for a year, I think. Social Security is $595 a month. That’s no money. Food stamps, it’s $200 a month, but we eat $200 worth of food in a week, if you buy meat.
I refuse to go on welfare. Just wouldn’t do that.
But my family’s helped me all these years. I live on the third floor of my mother’s house, and when I was looking for work, they gave me carfare. About a month ago, I applied for a job at the laundromat. They called me and told me they had somebody else. I’m not being disrespectful, but at this point, I’ll shovel shit.
*Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Weisenberg met with 50 temp agencies and headhunters. He actually met with 10.