Launched in 2012 in partnership with Columbia University, the Poverty Tracker is Robin Hood’s signature, groundbreaking study of poverty in New York City. Unlike other surveys, it explores the impact of poverty and material hardship over time, surveying a representative sample of New Yorkers every three months. While our annual Poverty Tracker reports provide critical information on the dynamics of poverty and other forms of disadvantage, our special spotlight reports shed light on more timely and nuanced aspects of poverty.
This year’s report documents the largest year-over-year increase in poverty since we began conducting the study in 2012. The overall poverty rate in the city increased from 18% in 2021 to 23% in 2022.
Receive the latest insights from Robin Hood’s Poverty Tracker report, delivered straight to your inbox.
We fund innovative research studies to better understand the impact that poverty has on individuals and families and the programmatic and policy interventions that can most effectively reduce poverty and improve outcomes for New Yorkers.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in partnership with the Century Foundation and Next100, Robin Hood released a policy agenda to act as a blueprint for our City’s new leadership to elevate New Yorkers out of poverty while tackling racial and economic inequities.