DEMOGRAPHICS
In 2021, there were an estimated 216,768 people in Washington Heights/Inwood, of which 2.7% identified as Asian, 7.3% identified as Black, 67.9% identified as Hispanic, and 19.7% identified as white.
In 2021, the household income group with the largest share (25.3%) of households was $100,001 -$250,000. In 2000, the household income group with the largest share (23.1%) of households was $60,001 -$100,000.
Median household income in 2021 was $58,060, about 20% less than citywide median household income ($72,150). The poverty rate in Washington Heights/Inwood was 21.0% in 2021 compared to 18.0% citywide.
The rent distribution shows the share of apartments by their size (according to the number of bedrooms), and then for each apartment size in the community district, the share of apartments according to their monthly gross rent. This distribution compares 5-year ACS figures from 2010 to 5-year ACS figures from 2021.
HOUSING
Renters
Real median gross rent in Washington Heights/Inwood increased from $1,170 in 2006 to $1,490 in 2021. This represents a 27.4% increase over the same period. As of 2021, the change in median gross rent outpaced the change in median household income by 1.1 percentage points. In 2021, 27.8% of renter households in Washington Heights/Inwood were severely rent burdened (spent more than 50% of household income on rent). 49.9% of the rental units were affordable at 80% Area Median Income, 10 percentage points lower than the share in 2010. 2.5% of the rental units were public housing rental units, as of 2022. The overall rental vacancy rate in Washington Heights/Inwood was 2.4% in 2021.
Homeowners
In 2021, the homeownership rate in Washington Heights/Inwood was 12.0%, which is lower than the citywide share of 33.3%. The homeownership rate in the neighborhood has increased by 1.7 percentage points since 2010. In 2021, the home purchase loan rate was 27.4 per 1,000 properties (owner-occupied 1-4 family buildings, condominiums, or cooperative apartments) and the refinance loan rate was 33.5 per 1,000 properties in the neighborhood. Out of all the first-time home purchase loans and refinance loans in Washington Heights/Inwood, 0.0% and 0.5% were high cost loans, respectively. 8 properties had a filing of mortgage foreclosure in Washington Heights/Inwood in 2022. There were 0.7 mortgage foreclosure actions initiated per 1,000 1-4 family properties and condominium units.
Development
The Department of Buildings issued new certificates of occupancy to 70 residential units in new buildings in Washington Heights/Inwood in 2022, 54 more than the number of units certified in 2021.
Over the last decade, 633 units in 4+ unit buildings were built in Washington Heights/Inwood. 73% were market rate, compared to 25% that were income-targeted. We use data from a variety of sources to count the number of income-restricted units targeted to households earning between 80% and 165% of AMI. However, due to restricted availability of granular data our calculations of income-restricted units should be read as conservative estimates. Read more about our methodology in the technical appendix of the 2021 Focus Report.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND CONDITIONS
The serious crime rate was 14.5 serious crimes per 1,000 residents in 2022, compared to 14.2 serious crimes per 1,000 residents citywide.
Data Notes: See CoreData User Guide for more information about indicator definitions and methods.
Indicators: The rental vacancy rate, severe crowding rate, and the severely rent-burdened households indicators use five-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates. Data under the 2010 heading comes from the 2006 – 2010 ACS, data under the 2019 heading comes from the 2015 – 2019ACS and data under the 2021 heading comes from 2017 – 2021 ACS .
