Economic Security






After some years of lagging the state and nation in job growth, Westchester County gained pace between 2021 and 2022, as total jobs increased 5.3%, similar to the state rate and slightly above the national rate of 4.8%.

Total jobs in Westchester County increased by 21% from 2001 to 2022, lower than the 24% increase for the state and the 28% increase for the nation. Westchester experienced the most job gains in Financial Activities (103%), Leisure and Hospitality (33%), and Professional and Business Services (24%). Over the same period, Information and Manufacturing jobs in the region both fell by 38% and 41%, respectively.

But opportunities aren’t available to all. Unemployment in Westchester County was highest among African American workers at 7.9% in 2018-22, followed by Hispanic workers at 6.7%, white workers at 5.3%, and Asian workers at 4.8%.

Business ownership in Westchester was also highly concentrated, with whites owning 79% of all businesses in 2017. Just 3% of businesses were owned by African Americans, 7.5% by Hispanics and 11% by Asians.

Median incomes in Westchester County were highest among Asian and white residents, at $162,400 and $135,500, respectively, in 2018-22, and lowest among Hispanic and African American residents, at $83,200 and $76,200, respectively. Females in Westchester earn, on average, 66 cents for every dollar earned by a male.

Westchester had an overall low poverty rate, at 9% in 2018-22, but poverty was higher among African American and Hispanic populations, at 16% and 13%.

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 Westchester County, 7% of households were food insecure in 2021, two percentage points lower than in 2013 and lower than the state and nation. However, participation in the federal nutrition assistance program (SNAP), was higher among African American (22%) and Hispanic (18%) households, compared to 5% of Asian and 4% of white households.

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

In 2018-22, 50% of rental units in Westchester County were considered unaffordable for their residents. 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 2018-22.

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 5.7) and African Americans (5.3), followed by whites (4.1) and Asians (3.7).

It follows that homeownership rates were about half as high for African American residents (38%) and Hispanic residents (39%) as for white (74%) and Asian residents (69%).

And homelessness was much higher for African Americans in Westchester. In 2022, Westchester counted 913 homeless African American people, for a rate of 27.1 per 100,000 residents, nearly ten times the rate for whites, at 2.8, and more than triple the rate for Hispanics, at 7.8.

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.





INDICATORS TREND | WESTCHESTER
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Infant Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels 0
Maintaining
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care 0
Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Disengaged Youth, Ages 16 to 19 -1
Decreasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Single Female-Headed Households -1
Decreasing
Voter Registration Rate 1
Increasing
Voter Participation Rate -1
Decreasing
Serious Crimes -1
Decreasing
Reported Victims of Domestic Violence -1
Decreasing
Arrest Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Households With Internet Access, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Households without Vehicles 0
Maintaining
Means of Transportation to Work, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Air Quality 1
Increasing
Population Density 0
Maintaining
Water Quality of the Long Island Sound 10 Not Applicable*
Open Space in Westchester County 10 Not Applicable*
Change in Total Population 1
Increasing
Change in Population, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Change in Population, by Age 10 Not Applicable*
People with Disabilities 1
Increasing
Language Diversity 1
Increasing
People 65 or Older Living Alone -1
Decreasing
Foreign-Born Population 1
Increasing
Change in Total Jobs 1
Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Average Salary by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Female to Male Earnings Ratio 0
Maintaining
Income in Relation to Poverty Level 10 Not Applicable*
Unemployment Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
People Living in Poverty 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Seniors Living in Poverty 1
Increasing
Seniors Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Food Insecurity -1
Decreasing
Households Receiving SNAP, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Public Assistance 0
Maintaining
People Receiving Supplemental Security Income 0
Maintaining
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Overall Housing Cost Burden -1
Decreasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Rent Burdened Households -1
Decreasing
Homelessness, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Homelessness, by Sex 10 Not Applicable*
Per-Student Spending 0
Maintaining
Student Suspensions -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
College Admission Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
College Enrollment Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
People Without Health Insurance -1
Decreasing
Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Mortality Rate from Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Diabetes Mortality, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Suicide Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*


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