The troubled economy may be hurting all New Yorkers, but it's still hitting the poor the hardest.
According to recently released U.S. Census figures, the gap between the wealthiest and poorest people in the Big Apple increased in 2008.
The number of households who earned below $10,000 a year rose by 529 people in Manhattan, while those with incomes of $200,000 a year increased by more than 19,000.
“No one should be surprised at the increased disparity,” said Richard Freeman, a Harvard University economist in an interview with the New York Post.
The increasing gap is due in part to the recession’s disproportionate effect on middle and low-income families.
“Unemployment hurts normal workers who do not have the golden parachutes the folks at the top have,” Freeman said.
The average U.S. household income dropped from $52,163 in 2007 to $50,303 last year, the lowest level in 12 years.
