A Survey of New Yorkers
In a partnership with Robin Hood and Columbia University, the Poverty Tracker documents the dynamics of poverty in New York City and provides a window into the lives of the millions of New Yorkers who experience poverty, hardship, and disadvantage. The Poverty Tracker follows a representative panel of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 New York City households.
Unlike typical surveys of poverty that take an annual snapshot, the Poverty Tracker surveys a representative sample of New Yorkers every three months for several years, collecting data on the impacts of disadvantage across New York City. Since the study’s launch, our team has collected information on income, material hardships, health, and well-being every year to track the dynamics of disadvantage in New York City.
We collect detailed information on household composition, employment, service utilization, assets and debts, and the impacts of major events such as the COVID crisis in order to understand how New Yorkers are faring over time. We continue to expand the scope of the study. In 2017, we launched the Early Childhood Poverty Tracker. In 2020, we recruited a Mandarin-speaking sample.
