Interestingly, the very dissimilar Manhattan and Queens of the 1980’s have been becoming more similar since. For example, according to the US Census Bureau and New York City Planning Department, in 1980, Manhattan had 21.8% of its population living below the poverty line, while Queens had 11.4% of its population living below the poverty line. However, Manhattan’s poverty population have slowly declined, while Queens have slowly increased, leaving them at 17.8% and 16.2%, respectively. Similarly, according to the New York Human Resources Administration,  the percent of the two boroughs’ population that received cash assistance from the government were 10.2% for Manhattan and 5.1% for Queens. Likewise, in 2010, the population percents both decreased to 2.0% and 3.0%, respectively. The same can be said for the percent of the population that received food stamps. In 1982, it was 15.5% and 8.7%. However, in 2010, the percentages became closer, at 19.0% and 13.0%, respectively. 

After showing these trends, it is clearer to see why drawing a comparison between the Manhattan and Queens boroughs is important. While the two may at first seem different, close inspection of the government-produced numbers shows that the two are actually similar. However, aside from the figures alone, these two boroughs have similar cities within them. For example, in this post, we will be comparing not only the Manhattan and Queens generally, but also evaluate them closely by comparing their both large Asian communities, Chinatown, Manhattan, and Flushing, Queens. 

According to a new study lead by the Center for Economic Opportunity, Asians have just recently passed Hispanics as the city’s poorest racial group. As seen in this graph, in 2008, the percent of the Hispanic population suffering from poverty was greater than that of the Asian population. However, from 2010 and on, the Asian community has surpassed the Hispanic community in poverty percentages. 

So, according to this graph produced by New York City, almost one out of every three Asian citizens experience poverty. This can be attributed to a few possible factors: housing issues and struggles gaining the help of government-funded programs. Both of these problems can be seen in both concentrated groups of Asian populations: Chinatown of Manhattan (which is estimated to house 100,000 people) and Flushing of Queens (which happens to possess over half of New York City’s Asian population). This comparison being made is accurate because both peoples are affected by the same circumstances in strikingly similar environments.

Because housing costs are so severe, there are many issues pertaining to the Asian communities of both Flushing and Chinatown. According to Nancy Foner of “Where They Live,” there is an estimation that ten thousand to fifty thousand immigrants live illegally in basement cubicles. Many of these immigrants, especially in the Chinatown and Flushing areas, are Asian. These illegally affordable rooms are basically communal, dilapidated holes in walls. Examples of such cubicles can be seen in Annie Ling’s photographs of 81 Bowery, a building that was shut down in March 2013, for it’s illegal occupancy and sub-standard living conditions. These rooms were, on average, eight feet by eight feet, and cost $200 a month. Similar buildings can be found in the Queen’s edition of Manhattan’s Chinatown, Flushing.

However, immigrants find themselves in a situation that transcends housing issues; according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the language barrier, which generally is negligible, has recently become problematic for the Asian population. Thus, in an effort to combat the difficulty, Bill de Blasio ensured the city that language assistance initiatives will be increased throughout this city. This means that government assistance will theoretically become a brighter option for the Asian immigrants of Chinatown and Flushing. This movement will essentially aid in the reduction of the income inequality by assisting the non-English speakers of New York City seek government benefits. Some of these benefits include, but are not limited to: universal preschool, expanded paid sick leave, and municipal ID’s for non-citizens. All of these plans are created in order to combat the rise of poverty in the Asian communities of Manhattan and Queens.

Yoon Jin Kim of Minkwon Center, a center for Asian immigrants in Flushing, explains that, “The type of people coming in for public benefits has changed; in the past, our client base was compromised of senior citizens. Over the last few years, we’re been seeing more younger people.” This quote explains the exact problems for which the government assistance is designed. The Asian population of Chinatown and Flushing is experiencing an immense amount of poverty unlike any other racial group has before at never-before-seen growing rates. This can be explained by the increase of immigration, lack of legal affordable housing, and higher cost of living compared to the lowering cost of available paid labor. Both Asian populations of Manhattan’s Chinatown and Queens’ Flushing are unfortunately experiencing similar poverty rates, leading to similar lifestyles and daily struggles.