Social Classes in NYC

It seems to me the neighborhoods with the most diversities in New York are the ones that experience a lower income. The upper classes no matter what train you take all reside in Manhattan. Manhattan is where jobs such as corporate offices the stock market and real estate are the most expensive. Needless to say, the majority living in Queens and Brooklyn do not have the means to afford their own personal chef, live-in nanny, or housekeeper. It shows that every line on the subway no matter which line you take those that are highest are all located in Manhattan. Manhattan by far receives the most tourist in New York. Manhattan offers fine-dining restaurants, museums, gardens, parks, and fun activities that all exploit a working consumer. Most of New York City’s attractions are not located in Queens, Brooklyn, or the Bronx. As a result, those are the boroughs in the city whose residents earn the least, communities that whose are in decline in cleanliness/nature, and depend more on small businesses to thrive. This is not to say that Manhattan does not have its own “bad” parts, but there is a distinct difference in how the way of life is much different than that of those in other boroughs. The amount of income, Manhattan residents bring into the city has caused the city to raise its prices in both rent and transportation for the boroughs that were known for having affordable living. Given that the current minimum wage in New York is 15 dollars, houses for rent in queens ( well-known for having affordable living) have skyrocketed to studio apartments (which are not that big) becoming over 1,000 dollars. The amount of influence Manhattan has had on its neighboring boroughs has proven to be a great imbalance in the distribution of money.

Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern in social classes in NYC?

Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

Crime has often been used as a form of social control by the person in power who is privileged. Whenever they commit these crimes society tends to overlook those crimes which the justice system fail to take care of these crimes properly.

  1. I believe the difference between each other is people with status that share the same kind of wealth according to were you live on different subway line. The other will be based on your income you Make and the school you attend, this will determine what social class you will be in.
  2. Middle class, I will say it is accurate, I am not surprised because you can know what kind of people live in the neighborhood by the building, people, and social structure
  3. Yes, because the upper class people will live with their kind, and and middle class intend to socialize with each other.

Jordi Rosario – Discussion Board 4.1

  1. In the readings 4.1 and 4.2, the concept of social class in both passages are noted differently. In 4.1, social classes are described and categorized into individualized household incomes. With the lower class being categorized at $0-$19k while the upper class at $250k and up. On the other hand in 4.2, social class is described through how capitalists are inherit their wealth which is through property income, rents, stocks, etc.
  2. According to the station nearest to where I live, the majority of the social class that tends to live in my neighborhood is without a doubt the working class. I am not surprised by the answer as in my neighborhood I constantly see many individuals in the morning on their way to work, usually with dress code representing big famous corporations.
  3. In reading 4.2, a general pattern that I picked up on was that stations located in the lower manhattan consisted of individuals in the upper class.

Rodelyne Alexandra – Social Class

  1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?

The first reading discussed Social class in term of hierarchy from low to high based on income, wealth, power and education. Per the author, this approach is the objective definition of the social class in a society. Additionally, the second reading defines social class by using the subway system and categorize them from lowest to highest. Other similarities that exist between these two texts on social class is, they both elaborate social class in term of income. The highest income or the upper class is above $200K and the lowest income is in the range of $20K. They both have 5 categories of social class based on household income. Yet, both readings differ from each other in different aspects, such as the first consider the US population in general while the other one is very specific to social class based on New York subway system. One of them talk about the perception of Americans on social class, what people think about their class, where they belong to. The other one is based on data from a credible institution, the U.S Census Bureau. These data shows that income changes between boroughs and neighborhoods. The richest people live in Lower Manhattan and the poorest in the other boroughs mostly black neighborhoods, except in minor stations in those boroughs.

2- Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?

Considering the neighborhood and station where I live, on 185 Hillside Ave, I would say per the author my neighborhood is a middle class one. Because I noticed that most of people are working people. Some seems educated and some may not. I think maybe the median household income can vary between 40K to 250K. According to me, mostly all types of social classes lives in my neighborhood such lower, working, middle, Upper-Middle and Upper if we base on the author’s classification. I do not think it is an accurate representation because there are working people that makes more than 250k, should we consider them in the upper class or the working people class. A CPA, for example that owns a small accounting firm can make 500k or 1M as income or revenue. Does that mean they are not part of the working class. In what class should we categorize that person, Upper or working class? In what category or class should we put a rich person? A person that owns only businesses.

3- Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

Yes there is a pattern about social classes in NYC based on the New York subway. I noticed that for all trains numbers, the stations situated in Manhattan specifically Chambers Street, Park Place, and World Trade Center, in Lower Manhattan), are where you find the highest median household income people. And as much as a stations are moving away from Manhattan you will find the poorest household income. Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens are the low income boroughs, except for some stations that are really closed to Manhattan. In most lines the poorest people live in Brooklyn and The Bronx. Except in line G, where the incomes shift a little higher for Brooklyn comparing to Queens.

Jason Medero 4.1

  1. I did notice similarities on how social class is discussed. In both articles majority of individuals indicate themselves as Middle Class. The differences is that in “What Determines How Americans Perceive Their Social Class?” the writer differentiates social class in many ways opposed to in the New Yorker it just speaks about the inequality related to train station stops.
  2. Since I live in Staten Island the closes subway stations on the infographic to me is the South Ferry. The social class that tends to live in my area is upper middle class, with college degrees. This does not surprise me. A lot of the people who live near me are skilled professionals.
  3. The general pattern I noticed about social classes from the 4.2 reading is that the farther you get away from Manhattan the lower the social classes get on average.

1. In reading 4.1, the way that it is discussed is by defining the term “social class” as commonly used in American culture but not understood. The reading digs deeper into defining the term “social class” as a hierarchy in society from low to high, based on income, wealth, power, culture, behavior, heritage, and prestige. The reading also explains how there is a social class in education and household income that determines the individual’s social class status. After I read the 4.2 reading, I noticed that there were some similarities that were compared to reading 4.1. One similarity I noticed was the way income was used to separate the low, middle, and upper classes. A difference that I encountered in both of the readings was the way each graph was created. For example, reading 4.1 shows the amount of income each class represented. However, in reading 4.2, it was displayed as a line in which we had to press on the point where we went to view the income of that specific location. Where ever the individual lives, their income, and social class status will differ because of their neighborhood placement and because each neighborhood has a different social class. 

2. The station that is near where I live is the J train station. The social class that tends to live in my neighborhood is the middle class which is $75-$99k. I’m surprised because I always thought that I lived in a rich neighborhood because there are not as much homeless in my neighborhood as there are in parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn. I believe that my neighborhood is the most diverse neighborhood because the people living there and who work are mostly Arabs, Hispanics, Asians and so much more. I definitely would consider my neighbors decent in the middle class. My neighborhood is not considered to be in a rich or poor location. To conclude, my neighborhood is in the middle class. 

3. Based on reading 4.2, I noticed that there is a general pattern of social classes in NYC which is in Manhattan it seems as if the location Chambers st is wealthier than the other locations.

  1. I noticed that in both 4.1 and 4.2 readings social class is being focused on income and location, and how New York has a problem with income inequality. Where ever an individual might live or decide to go classifies social class. Especially depending where the individual lives for instance Manhattan, the income there is the highest out of all boroughs. In reading 4.2 it shows how the 4 line the highest income is Brooklyn bridge city hall and grand central 42st. the difference between both readings is that 4.1 goes into detail about social class and talks about social class with education. In 4.2 it’s more of a graph that shows you the income of each location in each train line.
  2. Using concepts from reading 4.1 the social class in my neighborhood is “working class” im not sure wether I should be surprised or if I should’ve been known. Fordham is known for houses the borough’s largest and most diverse shopping district.
  3. in 4.2 reading I noticed Manhattan has the highest income rate no matter what line you live by it’s still the highest in the charts.

Belinda Hinckley-Discussion Board 4.1

  1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes? 

In readings 4.1 and 4.2 there are few similarities in which social class is discussed. In both readings they focus on total household income. As depicted on both the subway graph and Gallup article, income is key element in as to what social class people place themselves in. People at the lowest household income are most likely to identify at lower, middle, or working class, where those at the highest income bracket identify as upper-middle and upper-class. Additionally, the two readings also center around people’s social class in terms of the location they live in. For example, reading 4.1 states that people who tend to live in rural, countryside locations are less likely to place themselves in the high social class bracket than those who live in urban and suburban areas. In reading 4.2 displayed on the subway map image, you will observe evidence to support this statement. On the map, people who live in the borough of Manhattan tend to have higher incomes than those who live in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx (the only exception being York Street, the first Brooklyn stop on the F line).  

There are multiple differences within these two pieces in terms of making distinctions between the social classes. In reading 4.1 the reader receives a more thorough analysis of the elements that helps one determine their social class. As determined in reading 4.1, they describe social class in terms of someone’s education, race, job, political party affiliation, marital status, age, and gender. The graphs in 41. also provide the specific social class people identify as in relation to their household income, ranging from lower, working, middle, upper-middle, and upper-class. Reading 4.1 additionally provides the reader with details about how education impacts how people view their social class. As stated in the reading, working class identification falls with those who graduated college, thus causing the upper-middle class identification to increase substantially. The middle-class identification stays the same regardless of education level, and less than half categorize themselves as working class at any level of education. As far as age goes, those who are 65 and older tend to put themselves in a higher social class as opposed to those who are much younger. The reading in 4.2 gives extraordinarily little detail as to the specific backgrounds of the people incorporated into the graph. The only details we get are how much money these people make in their respective neighborhoods/subway stops.  

2. Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?

According to the information found on the graph in reading 4.1 and the subway map in reading 4.2, my neighborhood can be categorized as middle to upper-middle class, with a median income of $98,646. I’m not surprised by this news due to my neighborhood being widely known for its extravagant brownstone buildings, with a verity of expensive restaurants, bars, local coffee shops, parks, and above average schools. Recently my neighborhood made it to the top ten most expensive locations in Brooklyn. However, because there are quite a few families who have lived in my neighborhood for many generations, the income of those who live there may vary. This is due to the probability of them inheriting their homes from older or deceased family members. This is an accurate representation of my neighborhood because I’ve watched it develop and change for over 25 years. It has changed from a nice quiet area, with a lot of schools and parks, into a heavily populated area with quality restaurants, expensive boutiques, and superior nightlife. These new elements are bringing in more young wealthy people with families who would have previously preferred to live in the city due to its impressive accommodations. Additionally, my neighborhood is attracting several travelers from both inside and outside of the country.  

3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

In relation to the graph in reading 4.2 I’ve noticed that in the Borough of Manhattan people tend to lean towards the upper-middle and upper-class systems. People in the Bronx tend to have the lowest income, and therefore, part of the lower- or working-class systems. Consistent with the graph, Brooklyn has both lower class, middle class, and upper-class people living within the borough. Queens falls somewhere in the middle with a mostly middle-class population. I additionally observed that those who classify as upper-class New York citizens live around Chambers Street and Park Place both averaging a $205,192 income. What has also come to my attention is that the U.S. Census Bureau left out neighborhoods located in Staten Island because they don’t use the New York City subway system to travel. Therefore, it is not a complete graph of New York City’s social class identification. This leaves me curious as to how the data would change if the income from Staten Island was also incorporated. 

Joseph Paige – Discussion Board 4.1

1. Readings 4.1 and 4.2 both discuss and analyze social class in America. The first article is based on a poll taken by the website, which asks random people what their perceived social class is. The second article takes information on median household income and applies it to subway stops in the five boroughs of New York, in order to illustrate its point on wealth inequality.

Both articles make important points about the separation of classes based on area. On the New Yorker model, income can, and often does, shift wildly from stop to stop. Additionally, both articles have an inherent view of income as being one of the most – if not the most – important factors in discussing and differentiating between classes. While the first article is more about understanding how people of different income levels view themselves (subjective social class), it mentions at the beginning that a study of objective social class would have to entail income. This gives some perspective into the beliefs on class of the writer of this article.

2. The median income of my subway stop is a little over 90,000. This would posit it, based on reading 4.1, as a majority middle class area. Frankly, I am a little surprised by this. Given how people dress, how people act, and the prices of groceries, food, and housing, I expected it to be around 110-120k. But when I thought about it it started to make more sense to me. While there are a lot of wealthy families and retirees in my area, there is also a large and popular student apartment building, which I assume lowers the median income a little bit.

3. Based on 4.2 I noticed that a lot of the areas for subway stops in Manhattan have a median over 100k. This was not completely surprising to me, but some of the extreme dips in Manhattan income did. The 23rd St. stop in Manhattan makes 114k, but the next two stops make in the 50s, only to immediately shoot up to 110k after them. While these dips are few, it was still interesting how quickly it changes so dramatically.

Additionally, I was surprised at how few stops in Brooklyn make a median over 100k. Even the “nicer” areas tend to have significantly lower medians than most of Manhattan.

Kianna Changoo – What Does “Social Class” Mean To You?

1.) The term “Social Class” is often used amongst many citizens throughout the country, but for good reason. Not only does it allow an individual to start thinking about their current financial situation, but mostly how they compare to others. “Working,” “Middle,” “Upper,” etc… are all but a few of the labels that are used in order to categorize where people think they are financially. But how and why people pick certain labels are questionable. This is because you have to consider what factors does someone think about in order to determine how they classify their amount of wealth. With this being said, in readings 4.1 and 4.2, each article revolves around the idea of social class. I notice that they both share the similarity of using graphs as a visual representation of data. They also share the similarity of classifying social class by using household income. Lastly, each graph on both sides consists of having a “trend” or varying in data based on different things in relation to what they show. On the other hand, they differ from each other as well. Reading 4.1 talks about how people determine their social class, whether it be by household income or education level. It’s data is taken from Gallup, who has surveyed American’s for the sole purpose of understanding where they would place themselves in the social class spectrum. While reading 4.2 shifts focus on using New York’s subway and uses the different train lines and their stops to give an estimate on what people who live there make within a year. They use this to show a means of classification because you would then realize that people who live in a particular place make more money within a year compared to those elsewhere. Another difference that I noticed is reading 4.1 uses 5 labels for classification of people; lower, working, middle, upper-middle, and upper. Not only does this clearly help to understand various groups and create easy understanding within the graph but also, they are each color coordinated. For instance, when you observe the graph, the color grey would indicate “working” or dark green means “upper.” For reading 4.2, it has not real coloring on the graph to indicate anyone is of any subcategory. Depending on the subway train you picked, it will only show the two boroughs that the train passes through and the household income of someone for a particular stop. Lastly, reading 4.1 uses bars in their display of data whilst 4.2 uses a line graph.

2.) The train station that is closest to my house is the L line. The social class that tends to live within my neighborhood are lower, working, and middle. The highest amount someone in my borough (Brooklyn) makes is 67,946 in Graham Ave. and the lowest is apparently 12,288 in Sutter Ave. With this information in mind, I am honestly not surprised by the answer because of how I see people are within my neighborhood. Although people within my neighborhood have jobs and work on a daily basis but you can see that they still struggle. My block mostly consists of old cars, you’ll only see a couple of people who own a car of recent dating and trendy branding such as BMW or Mercedes Benz. Not to mention, people here do own homes but they aren’t lavishly renovated and have looked the same for years. Not to mention, most of their jobs consists of labor that requires you to really work hard to make ends meet. To name a few; Uber, construction, MTA, etc…

3.) Based on reading 4.2, the pattern that I notice in regards to social classes in New York is some boroughs have people who make a lot within a given year compared to others regardless of the stop. For instance, for the L line, it makes it’s way between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some places are typically known for being more wealthy than others. The highest amount in Manhattan is 150,110 in 14 st. 6th ave, whilst the highest in Brooklyn is 67,946 in Graham Ave. Not only is this a significant difference but it is also safe to say that depending on where you are, the statistics change.