Poverty in the East End

 The East End of Long Island is home to some of the region’s most popular summer destinations, yet its affluent reputation coexists with high levels of poverty and food insecurity. According to figures from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), some Suffolk County villages report levels of poverty upwards of 30%. In the town of Southampton, 5,286 individuals live below the federal poverty level (FPL). In East Hampton and Shelter Island, 12.4% of the population lives below the FPL. Recent research from Feeding America found that across Long Island, 1 in 4 adults faced food insecurity [1].  These numbers represent stark and perhaps seldom discussed realities that are sometimes hidden by the East End’s image as a place of wealth, with few material challenges [2].  Furthermore, due to the area’s high cost of living, the Welfare to Work Commission of the Suffolk County Legislature states that the true definition of poverty on Long Island is twice the federal government’s definition of income of $31,200 or less for a family of four. To pay for basic needs, one would need over three times (3x) the federal poverty line metric [3].

This dashboard illustrates the spatial dimensions of poverty in the East End, and draws attention to the widespread inability of many residents to cover essential living costs, such as food. The bar graphs at the top of the dashboard show the population of each East End town below the selected poverty level, while the chart below indicates the percentage of the population in poverty at the village and hamlet level. Each of these charts is color coded by corresponding town. The filters on the right side of the dashboard can be used to narrow findings to specific East End towns or show the spatial distribution of hamlets and villages at poverty levels more attuned to the area’s high cost of living. 

If we account for the income level necessary to cover basic needs on Long Island, nearly 80% of the population in the Southold hamlet of Peconic does not meet this benchmark. At the town level, upwards of 35% of the population in Riverhead and more than 30% of the population in Southampton struggles with paying for the high local cost of basic needs. This means that even for East End residents with incomes above the federal poverty level, securing day-to-day necessities such as food may often still be prohibitive. This is especially the case for the contingency of residents who are food insecure but do not meet the income requirements to qualify for food assistance, which is the case for 41% of food insecure people in Suffolk County.

From a food policy perspective, examining the spatial distributions of poverty is critical in determining how to best fill gaps in potential areas of unmet need. Drawing light to the East End’s high levels of poverty, especially when attuned to a more locally appropriate definition of poverty, is of particular importance in advocating for more robust infrastructures of emergency food relief and resources. 

Food insecurity trends in the region

Food insecurity is not a new issue facing residents in the East End.  The two major food banks serving the area, Long Island Cares [4] and Island Harvest [5], began operations in 1980 and 1991 respectively to address the growing need.  There are multiple methods to measure food insecurity, but regardless of how it is measured, the number of people experiencing food insecurity has remained stubbornly high over the years, despite efforts of many food pantries and non-profit organizations serving these communities.

Feeding America has been calculating food insecurity rates for states and counties since 2011 [6].  Their calculations are estimated based on household or demographic characteristics (e.g., poverty, unemployment) that have been shown to be linked to food insecurity [7].  The food insecurity rate in the overall population in Suffolk County has ranged between 5.5% to 7.3% for most of the 2010s, and the prevalence of children experiencing food insecurity is more than twice that seen in the overall population.

Finally, another indicator of the persistent and growing issue of food insecurity over the years one can look to are the services provided by the two food banks serving the East End.  In 2010, Long Island Cares reported distributing 6.1 million pounds of food to their member agencies [11], while in 2022, they distributed 14 million pounds of food [12].  Similarly, Island Harvest reported distributing 15.5 million pounds of food (or approximately 13 million meals) in 2022 [13].  In a report from 2010, it was estimated that the two food banks served 283,700 different people annually, whereas today, that number is likely close to 500,000 [14]. 

References 

[1] Long Island Cares. 2022. “Impact.” Long Island Cares. https://www.licares.org/who-we-are/impact/. 

[2] Long Island Community Foundation. 2023. “All For The East End (AFTEE).” The Long Island Community Foundation. https://licf.org/give/aftee-feed-the-need/.

[3] Welfare to Work Commission. 2022. “Still Struggling in Suburbia: The Unmet Challenges of Poverty in Suffolk County.” Suffolk County Legislature. https://www.scnylegislature.us/DocumentCenter/View/87572/122022-Still-Struggling-in-Suburbia-The-Unmet-Challenges-of-Poverty-in-Suffolk-County-PDF. 

[4] Long Island Cares, https://www.licares.org/who-we-are/about-us/ 

[5] Island Harvest, https://www.islandharvest.org/

[6] Gundersen, C., Waxman, E., Engelhard, E., Brown, J. Map the Meal Gap 2011-2017: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America, 2011-2017.

[7] Feeding America, How We Got the Map Data, https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/map-the-meal-gap/how-we-got-the-map-data

[8] The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/about/index.htm

[9] New York State Department of Health, Perceived Food Security among New York State Adults by County, BRFSS 2016, https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/information_for_action/docs/2018-07_ifa_report.pdf 

[10] New York State Department of Health, Self-Reported Food Insecurity Among New York State Adults by County, BRFSS 2021, https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/information_for_action/docs/2023-12_ifa_report.pdf 

[11] Long Island Cares, 2010 Annual Report, https://www.licares.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2010_Annual_report.pdf

[12]  Long Island Cares, 2023. The State of Food Insecurity on Long Island | 2022, https://www.licares.org/news/food-insecurity-studies/licares_studies/ 

[13] Island Harvest,  2021-2022 Annual Report, https://www.islandharvest.org/21-22-annual-report/ 

[14] Mabli, J., Cohen, R., Potter, F., Zhao, Z.  2010. HUNGER IN AMERICA 2010. Local Report Prepared for Island Harvest and Long Island Cares. https://www.licares.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Research_Reports_2010_Hunger_Study_Local_Report.pdf