Statistics & Data

Real median gross rent in Central Harlem increased from $910 in 2006 to $1,300 in 2021. This represents a 42.9% increase over the same period. As of 2021, the change in median gross rent outpaced the change in median household income by 26.2 percentage points. In 2021, 25.1% of renter households in Central Harlem were severely rent burdened (spent more than 50% of household income on rent). 42.3% of the rental units were affordable at 80% Area Median Income, 17 percentage points lower than the share in 2010. 16.8% of the rental units were public housing rental units, as of 2022. The overall rental vacancy rate in Central Harlem was 5.1% in 2021.

The median household income in Harlem is $59,176. This means Harlem income is about average for the median income in the United States, with neighborhood household incomes in the 41th percentile. Education is usually most correlated with income, and in Harlem 40% of adults have bachelor’s degrees or hgher versus 31% nationwide. 58% of neighborhoods have higher median household incomes, and 40% of neighborhoods have lower median household income. Compared to nearby neighborhoods, family and household incomes are lower. Median income ranges from a low of $12,258 to a high of $172,713 in some neighborhoods.

Higher income areas are typically found in the southwest parts of the neighborhood, and lower income areas are in the southeast areas.