Census Data Shows New Yorkers Don't Need Kitchens

The anticipation of 2010 Census data has everyone crunching numbers about how we're living post-recession. And though we're faring better than most of the country, the results from the Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey show it's not pretty. For instance, the New York Times reports a rise in the number of New Yorkers living in apartments without kitchens, possibly proving that this whole foodie trend is just a paycheck away from dying.

The recession seemed to affect everything from working parents to percentages of paychecks going to rent to marriage rates. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of 25- to 34-year-olds who have never been married rose nearly 12% from the 34.5% 2000, and in New York the number of men in the city who had never been married hit 46% in 2009. Though the PRB notes "the probability of an adult getting married at some point during their lifetime is still nearly 90 percent," it seems more adults are postponing the union until they're more financially settled. Or they just don't want to marry any of the unemployed deadbeats in this town.

The city's poverty rate was announced earlier this year as 22%, but it ranged depending on location and ethnicity. The low point was 6% for non-Hispanic whites in Staten Island, while in the Bronx, Hispanics had a high of 36%. Joel Berg of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger said the higher percentages of people living below the poverty line are "proof that low-income, hungry and even middle-class New Yorkers are suffering mightily in this recession, even as the ultrarich become even wealthier." The gap between the wealthy and the poor is higher in New York than in any other state, and in Manhattan it's the higher than any other county. Though you probably didn't need Census data to tell you that.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on September 29, 2010 12:41 PM

Comments [rss]

John L

To sum it up, Shit is fucked up for everyone.

It's really sad that a man who considers himself a philanthropist like Bloomberg, one of the richest men in the world, has been so particularly harsh to the city's poorest residents. Especially at one of America's toughest times in the history of this country.

With a little foresight Bloomberg could've made a real difference in this city. He claims that if we tax the rich a little more they'll leave and I say that's bullshit. Sure a few might leave but the majority will stay and with that added revenue we can make this a world class city again, an example of urban renewal for all its residents not just a privileged few.

Instead he chose to try to improve this city on the backs of those that can least afford it by raising regressive taxes and cutting essential services. This is the Bloomberg Theory, the exact opposite of the Robin Hood Theory, tax the poor and give it to rich developers. We should be rioting in the streets right now at the fact that after getting an approximately $2 billion in tax payer subsidies Ratner now decides that one of the major selling points of the Atlantic Yards Project, the affordable housing, over 6,000 units, was eliminated just like that and his buddy Bloomberg said nothing but when workers were asking for a bill requiring developers in tax payer subsidized projects to pay the workers $10 an hour with minimal benefits he became furious and said it was "stupid."

ktinnyc

We've been over this before but Bloomberg doesn't just consider himself a philanthropist he is one.

Ed

I'm single and I use my kitchen, but if you are living alone you will discover that there are no real savings to grocery shopping-and-cooking than to just ordering cheap delivery food. Grocery stores tend to sell food in family sized or at least couple sized amounts. You wind up throwing alot of stuff out, at least if you like fresh things.

Lots of people in Manhattan live alone. And really, unless you like to cook, for these people a pantry for canned goods and cereal, and a small fridge for a small amount of perishables, replenished weekly, works fine. Microwaves and toaster ovens come now in small sizes too.

hotstepper

i think the payoff in cooking for yourself is often monetary (depending on the meal) but also eating less sodium, fat, and other people's spit.

exnyer

Break out the Sterno.

RumpShaker

I don't have a proper kitchen in my East Village apartment. I have a microwave and a range top (no stove). It's all I need. I'm a vegetarian.

Gothamist_Cynic

Most people in NYC don't like to save money. They waste it on eating out and ridiculous rents just so they can say they lived in Manhattan.

sxs

Um, duh, everyone just eats out a lot. I have a kitchen, but I have never used it (well, I use the oven as a place to keep shoes). Why cook when I can get 2 meals out of the $4.95 chinese delivery?

The Great Bandini

If you can make it here...

http://wanderingbrooklyn.wordpress.com/

PathToWisdom

How do you cook, heat up food without a kitchen?

Not all foods are microwave friendly.

Portable stoves are still needed even if a

regular kitchen is not avaiable.

Nyctini11

I lived for a while, way back when, unable to afford gas, by using a plug in single burner and a toaster over, it can be done, and i think it is, ALL to often the norm around here.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

The gap between the wealthy and the poor is higher in New York than in any other state, and in Manhattan it's the higher than any other county. Though you probably didn't need Census data to tell you that.

Bloomberg's legacy