Yes, there is a large "Well Off" population in The Bronx!

With the Census 2000 PUMA file, we can custom make a universe by defining the characteristics of each individual we want to include.    To get a universe consisting only of all the "well off" people in The Bronx, we had two options.  We could simply choose all those whose household incomes in Census 2000 exceeded a figure  above the median ($41,994 for the US;  so $50,000 seemed to be a reasonable minimum for "well off").  Or we could choose a multiple of the poverty index:  a reasonable minimum seemed to be at least three times the poverty threshold for each person.  The poverty index takes into account age and family size, so it seems more realistic than household income alone.  Both of these methods produce similar universes with over 80% overlap.  In fact they are almost exactly the same size: 417,347  based on the poverty variable and 416,479 based on household income.  To get the most realistic group of "well off" people in The Bronx, we chose the universe based on the poverty variable wherever we could use this data.

Almost exactly one-third of the Bronx population fits our criteria of being "well off."   In most American cities the proportion of "well off" would be greater, but still, The Bronx counts over 417,000 in the "well off" category.   This is greater than the entire population of Atlanta, or of Minneapolis, or Miami, or St. Louis.

 Where are they?

There are large concentrations of the "well off" in the northwest and southeast Bronx - the remaining areas of non-Hispanic White strength.  But there are also large numbers in Black areas of Williamsbridge and Concourse Village, as well as in the Hispanic areas in Kingsbridge, Bedford Park, and Soundview.  The following map shows approximately ten areas with very large concentrations of "well off" - and these nucleii seem to be expanding.

Many concentrations of "well off" are in socio-economically isolated areas, where there are hardly any poor.  But there are also many economically integrated areas, with many "well off" but even more people of modest means.  In the following map, the density of the dots reflects the number of "well off".  The color of the dots indicates whether they are in economically isolated or integrated neighborhoods.

Changes Over Time

Using the "three times the poverty level" threshold with the PUMS file from the 1990 census and from Census 2000, we see how the  Bronx "well off" population changed over a decade.  The number of "well off" non-Hispanic Whites dropped by one-third, whereas both the non-Hispanic Black and the Hispanic "well off" population increased by well over 12%.  Because so many well-to-do non-Hispanic Whites left The Bronx,  the total "well off" population actually fell.  But increases in well-to-do minorities almost made up for the White hemorhage.

                                    "WELL OFF" POPULATION, 1990 and 2000, BY RACIAL-ETHNIC GROUP
 
                                                                                                   1990              2000                 % CHANGE
                    Non-Hispanic Whites        155,068    103,647        -33.2%
                    Non-Hispanic Blacks        127,015    143,891        +13.3
                    Hispanics                  127,989    143,302        +12.0
                    Asians & Other              11,710     26,507       +126.4
 
                    TOTAL                      421,782    417,347         -1.1
 

Characteristics of Bronx "Well Off", Compared to the entire Bronx, to NY City, to NY State, and to the US

By some standards, the "well off" Bronx population is more like the "average American" or the "average New Yorker" than it is like the "average resident of The Bronx."    Benchmark comparisons will help us understand the qualities of this population and also make clearer the complicated demography of The Bronx.   Note that the figures for each geographic area are based on the entire population.  Only for The Bronx do we include the whole area, then highlight the "well off" population for separate consideration.
 

a.  Demographic Basics - Age and Gender

In gender distribution the "well off" Bronx is almost exactly like the US as a whole.   Note how the proportion of males decreases as one gets more geographically specific, and then, the final upturn.

It is probably not surprising that the "well off" Bronx has a higher proportion of the richest age group (adults 25-54) than the benchmark areas, or that it has a lower proportion of the poorest ages (kids and youth).   Note that the proportion of kids and youth is highest in The Bronx as a whole, and lowest in the "well off" Bronx.

b.  Race and Ethnicity

In race and ethnicity, the "well off" Bronx looks more like New York City than any other benchmark area.  Over three-quarters of the "well off" - that is, more than 300,000 people, are minorities, and doubtless both the proportion and the numbers of "well off" minorities in The Bronx will continue to grow.   Note also that the proportion of Blacks slightly exceeds that of Hispanics, unlike any of the geographic benchmarks.
Among "well off" Hispanics, the relation among the "big three" (Puerto Ricans, Domicans, Mexicans) parallels New York State, New York City, and The Bronx as a whole.  Mexicans, the more recent Hispanic arrivals in The Bronx, are just beginning to rise up the economic ladder.

c.  Family Structure

The family structure of the "well off" Bronx resembles most of the country - but not the Bronx as a whole.  Most families with children include both mother and father; twice the number of mom-only families.

d.  Education

There is the same disparity in education.  In The Bronx as a whole over a third of adults have no high school diploma.  In the "well off" Bronx that figure is barely one-fifth, and  college graduates exceed the number without high school diplomas.  The "well off" profile is almost identical to New York State as a whole.

e.  Language, Citizenship, Immigration

English speaking difficulties generally parallel immigration rates; this is true for the benchmark areas and for the "well off" Bronx.  Note that in both language skills and immigration/citizenship,  "well off" Bronx rates are between those of NY State and NY City.

f.  Housing and Transportation

Urban realities cannot be ignored when we look at housing data.  Private homes with yards cannot be the norm where there are thousands of people per square mile,  such as much of New York City, including The Bronx.  But still, the "well off" Bronx often contrasts with The Bronx as a whole and even with New York City.  Note especially car ownership.

g.  Population Mobility

Population mobility shows surprising consistency among all areas, including The Bronx as a whole and the "well off" Bronx.  Of course, these figures tell us nothing about the specific characteristics of long term residents or of new arrivals.

The Future

The "well off" Bronx includes hundreds of thousands of people, highly concentrated in several areas throughout the borough.  The socio-economic profiles presented here usually contrast with our picture of the entire Bronx.  This is as it should be.  "Well off" people are only one-third of the borough; the rest - 800,000 of them - include enough desperately needy people to pull down borough-wide data.  So in The Bronx one finds both need and hope - often coexisting in the same neighborhood.   Like The Bronx as a whole, the "well off" Bronx is overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic.  And, while the so-called majority non-Hispanic Whites continue to leave, their place is taken by more and more of these minority members of the middle class.   This evolution will continue; The Bronx will become more and more Black and Hispanic, and, as the new immigrants pull themselves up the economic ladder,  more and more "well off."

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Lehman College - Bronx Data Center  12/2003