Politics & Government

Fort Greene: Home to One of NYC's Poorest Blocks

New census data shows Fort Greene tract joining Brownsville and Hunts Point on impoverished list.

According to a new report published by the Independent Budget Office, Fort Greene is the new home of one of New York City's poorest census tracts.

The IBO compared their ever-expanding raft of city census data to numbers compiled in 2000, and found that while money might be flowing into some parts of Brooklyn — the borough is also seeing rising poverty. 

In 2000, Brooklyn was home to four of the city's 10 poorest census tracts, the IBO said. In 2011, that number rose to five, with one of those tracts located in Fort Greene. 

Census tracts, according to the IBO, are usually identified by areas with mostly homogenous groups of people, or areas that are easily defined by streets or other natural boundaries, designed to make census data-gathering more comprehensive. 

One statistical quirk found by the IBO was just how close Fort Greene's poorest tract was to two tracts in Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO that were both listed in the top ten wealthiest across the city. 

That, if nothing else, is Brooklyn for you. 

Check out the map above and the IBO's blog post on the subject here. 


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