After some years of lagging the state and nation in job growth, Westchester County continued to add jobs in 2024, though growth was modest. Total jobs increased 1.6% from 2023, below the state increase of 2.5% but slightly above the national increase of 1.2%. Among comparison counties, only Rockland grew faster, at 3.6%.

The total number of jobs in Westchester County increased by 8% from 2010 to 2024, lower than the 16% increase statewide and 21% increase nationally. Westchester experienced the most job gains in Construction (32%) and Leisure and Hospitality (24%), while jobs declined sharply in Information by 41% and Manufacturing by 28%.

But opportunities aren’t available to all. In 2020-24, unemployment in Westchester County was highest among African American workers at 8% and Hispanic workers at 7.3%, compared with white workers at 5.4%, and Asian workers at 3.9%.

Business ownership in Westchester was also highly concentrated, with whites owning 81% of all businesses in 2023. Just 4% of businesses were owned by African Americans, 12% by Hispanics and 9% by Asians.

Median incomes in Westchester County were highest among Asian ($168,000) and White ($146,100) residents, in 2020-24, and much lower among Hispanic and African American residents, at $84,700 and $81,400, respectively. Females in Westchester earn, on average, 68 cents for every dollar earned by a male.

Westchester had a relatively low overall poverty rate, at 9% in 2020-24, but poverty was higher among African American and Hispanic populations, at 15% and 14% respectively.

These statistics all show the impact of a society that does not allow for full participation in the economy by people of color. While traditional explanations for employment rate disparities focus on education and training gaps, whites tend to be employed at higher rates than Blacks and other people of color at every education level (high school, some college, bachelor’s degree, etc.). This has led many researchers to focus on labor market discrimination as a primary cause of higher unemployment among people of color. African American workers across industries also tend to earn lower wages than their white and Asian American peers. The disproportionate and systemic incarceration of Black and Latinx males also plays a role.

Lower income leads to difficulty meeting basic needs. In 2023, 11% of households were food insecure, up two percentage points since 2013 but still below the state and national rates. Participation in the federal nutrition assistance program (SNAP), was higher among African American (20%) and Hispanic (19%) households, compared to 5% of Asian and 4% of white households.

And when it comes to basic needs, housing in Westchester County is especially challenging. With high housing costs and lower incomes among people of color, both renting and owning a home is difficult.

In 2020-24, 39% of all housing units in Westchester County were considered unaffordable for their residents (meaning at least 30% of income was spent on housing costs), and 51% of rental units had residents whose housing costs were above the affordability threshold.

Rent consumed 31% of African American and 32% of Hispanic household incomes, compared to 27% of White and 26% of Asian household incomes in 2020-24.

Among homeowners, Westchester County homes were most unaffordable for Hispanic and African Americans. Measured as a ratio of home value to income, affordability was lowest for Hispanic homeowners (ratio of 5.6) and African Americans (5.4), followed by whites (4.0) and Asians (3.6).

Homeownership rates were about half as high for African American residents and Hispanic residents (both at 39%) as for white (76%) and Asian residents (69%).

And homelessness was much higher for African Americans in Westchester. In 2024, Westchester counted 984 homeless African American people, for a rate of 28.6 per 10,000 residents---more than 11 times the rate for White residents (2.5) and nearly three times the rate for Hispanic residents (10.1).

In addition to policies and structures that limit employment and income, people of color experience housing discrimination and have historically been prohibited from living wherever they want and steered or required to live in specific areas, often those that are less affluent and desirable.