Join Us
Publications
AMI in NYC: Visualizing Inequality and Unaffordability with Area Median Income
Samuel Stein, Oksana Mironova
Summary:
All housing is affordable to somebody. When we talk about how affordable housing might be, or to whom it will be affordable, we need a flexible metric that accounts for multiple factors, including household size and geography.
Area Median Income, or AMI, attempts to do this and is a critical factor in determining eligibility and prices for government-assisted housing. However, as this report highlights, AMI often leads to policies that do not meet the needs of New Yorkers because of discrepancies between the HUD-calculated metrics and actual income levels in NYC.
We hope this report serves as a reference and a resource to activists, journalists, researchers, and elected officials who seek both a deeper understanding of contemporary housing dynamics and a way to compare housing policies and proposals with the incomes of various types of New Yorkers living in the city today.
Issues: Affordable Housing
Download PDF
