What does this measure?
The proportion of household income that goes toward monthly rent, utilities and fuel, calculated by dividing median rent by median household income for renters, presented for renters of various racial and ethnic groups.
Why is this important?
This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters of different races and ethnicities. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income. High housing costs can force households to choose between paying for housing and meeting other basic needs such as food, clothing and health care.
How is Westchester County performing?
Rent consumed 36% of the income of African American households, compared to 32% of Hispanic, 26% of White and 25% of Asian household income in 2017-21. The figure for African Americans was higher than the state or nation, while the Hispanic figure was higher than the nation but below the state. Median rents were highest for Asians in Westchester, at almost $1,900, followed by $1,800 for Whites, $1,700 for Hispanics, and $1,600 for African Americans. Since 2016-2020, the percentage of household income that rent consumed decreased by one percentage point for all racial and ethnic groups except for Asians which remained the same. It should be noted that this comparison uses data from overlapping years and contains some of the same data.
Why do these disparities exist?
Historic and current policies and systems, from racist housing policies to employment discrimination to education systems that fail to equitably serve all populations, have prevented people of color from fully participating in our economy, locking them out of economic opportunity. This has resulted in lower incomes for people of color, which means housing costs are a greater burden. At the same time, housing costs are rising faster than incomes and affordable housing is limited.
Notes about the data
Multi-year data are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample. The American Community Survey combines five years of responses to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.
| Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester County | 25% | 36% | 32% | 26% |
| Nassau County | N/A | 43% | 33% | N/A |
| Putnam County | N/A | N/A | 25% | 24% |
| Rockland County | 22% | 29% | 36% | 46% |
| New York State | 32% | 33% | 35% | 29% |
| Mount Vernon/New Rochelle | 27% | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| White Plains | N/A | 34% | 31% | 21% |
| Yonkers | 34% | 39% | 37% | 32% |
Notes: Data not presented for all racial/ethnic groups where the sample size was too small to provide reliable data. Regional rates calculated by weighting county medians based on share of population. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.
| Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester County | $1,872 | $1,554 | $1,665 | $1,802 |
| Nassau County | N/A | $1,629 | $1,854 | N/A |
| Putnam County | $1,100 | N/A | $1,640 | $1,537 |
| Rockland County | $1,693 | $1,432 | $1,679 | $1,638 |
| New York State | $1,621 | $1,270 | $1,453 | $1,449 |
| Mount Vernon/New Rochelle | $1,802 | $1,515 | $1,613 | $1,702 |
| White Plains | N/A | $1,553 | $1,707 | $1,998 |
| Yonkers | $1,613 | $1,547 | $1,569 | $1,587 |
