Experts: Census data masks deeper concerns for Long Island's poor

 Child poverty rates in Suffolk last year rose from 2022 at a level viewed as statistically significant by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the federal government's one-size-fits-all approach continues to discount the financial hardship for "structurally poor" Long Islanders, according to poverty experts. 

The Census Bureau statistics released Thursday showed that while Suffolk County's overall poverty rate in 2023 was statistically unchanged from the year before, for children under 18 it climbed just over 2 percentage points from 6.2% to 8.3%, a change the agency considers statistically significant.

Nassau's child poverty rate saw a decline the Census Bureau considered statistically insignificant, from 6.2% in 2022 to 5.1% in 2023.

High cost of living

What's missing from the new Census report, experts said, was an accounting of the true level of poverty on Long Island, fueled by a high cost of living, compared to other parts of the United States.

"The federal definition of poverty is so ridiculously low, we look wonderful," said Richard Koubek, chair of the Welfare to Work Commission of the Suffolk County Legislature, citing Long Island's low poverty rate and high median household income.

The latest Census Bureau data confirmed Long Island's low poverty rate and high median household income, $132,080 in 2023, compared with national median for the year, $80,610.

The overall poverty rate for Nassau and Suffolk counties was 6.1% in 2023, not statistically different from the year before, when it was 5.9%, according to Newsday's analysis of the 2023 one-year estimates from the bureau's American Community Survey.

In 2023, according to the census data, the nationwide poverty rate threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $30,900, far short of what's needed for a family to make it on Long Island, Koubek said.

"Our cost of living is so high that our poverty level should be doubled the $30,000," he said. "You've got to regionalize the federal poverty rate." But he lamented, "any attempt to do that has failed." 

Statistics belie struggles

Nassau's poverty rate was estimated at 5.4% in 2023, virtually unchanged from 2022 when it stood at 5.3%. Suffolk's was 6.5% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2023, a statistically insignificant change.

The Census Bureau showed New York State's poverty rate was more than double Long Island's in 2023, at 14.2%. The national poverty rate was 11.1% that year, the bureau reported.

Long Island's poverty rates are typically lower than the state or national levels, but that belies the struggles that many Long Islanders face, several human service providers said.

"There are very well defined and well worn pockets of poverty on Long Island," said Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive of Garden City-based Family & Children's Association (FCA).

The association serves about 36,000 people annually, providing a range of services, including behavioral health, housing programs, seniors programs and recovery programs, as well as a food pantry.

"Single moms with kids are having a rough time. Long Island hasn't figured out how to address pockets of poverty," Reynolds said. The census data show that the poverty rate for female-headed households on Long Island with no spouse present was higher than other groups, at 10.9% in 2023 — 10.8% in Nassau and 10.9% in Suffolk.

'Transportation barriers'

Reynold said Suffolk County's larger geographic area adds "transportation barriers," such as limited bus service, to the list of challenges facing families with limited incomes.

"In Suffolk access to services is hampered and child care is harder to access," Reynolds said. "It's harder to get your kids there, drop them off, get yourself to work, pick them up. These things many Long Islanders struggle with become infinitely harder" for poor single mothers, he said.

The latest census data ignores "systemic issues that keep families locked in poverty: lack of access to child care, lack of access to well-paying jobs, the lack of housing options," Reynolds said.

In an email, Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, estimated that about 20% of Long Islanders are considered "structurally poor. This means they struggle to meet the high cost of living despite earning above the federal poverty line."

She added: "Many of our clients are continually faced with the difficult choices between paying for housing, utilities, food, and health care. The ongoing lack of affordable housing options continues to drive up costs, making it increasingly challenging for lower-income residents to find suitable living arrangements. ... it’s important to reflect on what this means for the children in these families. Children in lower-income households are more likely to experience poor health outcomes."