WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — The population of Upper Manhattan is booming — bringing with it the need for more economic opportunities, affordable housing and transportation options, according to a new report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
The report offers an economic glimpse of Washington Heights and Inwood, which saw a 6 percent growth in residents between 2010 and 2013, bringing the local population to a record 218,500 people.
The neighborhoods have recently outperformed other areas of the city in terms of job and business growth, but still maintain higher rates of unemployment and lower average income than the citywide average, the report found.
“There’s no doubt about it when you look at these numbers and statistics that Inwood and Washington Heights are progressing,” DiNapoli said during a presentation to local leaders and residents Thursday morning.
In 2013, the number of jobs in the area increased by 3.3 percent, which was faster than the citywide rate, DiNapoli said. Continued job growth in 2014 brought the number of local jobs to a record 28,670.
In addition, the number of businesses in the two neighborhoods increased by 10.3 percent between 2009 and 2013, compared to the citywide gain of 6.7 percent, the study showed.
Much of that growth came in the form of small businesses, DiNapoli said.
“Since small businesses are the heart and soul of the community, I think that’s great news,” DiNapoli said.
However, not all residents have seen the benefits of that growth.
At 13.6 percent, the local unemployment rate was 4 percent higher than the citywide rate in 2013, the study found.
And while local private sector employees had an average annual salary of $54,640, area residents made an average of just $34,260 per year, the report said. Many residents work outside of the neighborhood in lower paying jobs including childcare, housekeeping, restaurants and as health aides, the report said.
The income disparity is a particular concern in relation to housing, the report noted.
Forty percent of all Uptown renters are burdened by their apartment prices, meaning they devoted more than 30 percent of their household income to rent in 2013, the report said.
The report also highlighted the need for more and better transportation options and schools in the area.
Subway ridership Uptown has increased by 12 percent in the past five years, and the Bx12 bus route that travels from Inwood to the Bronx is the busiest in the city, the report said. Uptowners also spend an average of 40 minutes commuting to work — the longest average commute of any Manhattanite.
Local schools are similarly overburdened, with a third of them meeting the standard for overcrowding, according to the report. Only 17 percent of local elementary and middle school students met the grade level standard for ELA (English Language Arts), while just 22 percent met the standard in math.
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who also spoke at the event, said the report legitimized the perception that the community has made a great deal of progress over the past few years.
However, he said the community must move forward with an eye toward improving education, as well as training for and access to middle-class jobs for the residents who already live here.
“I think we can turn Northern Manhattan into a middle-class community,” Rodriguez said. “But it must also be protected for those who lived here in the '80s and '90s when not many people wanted to.”
He pointed to his proposal to rezone 100 acres of land in Inwood for business and residential development as a potential source of economic growth.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation will begin soliciting feedback from community members on that proposal this summer.
