Poverty levels drop under de Blasio

Mayor Bill de Blasio says he’s leaving office at the end of the month with a particular point of pride: He’s cut poverty and near-poverty rates to levels  not seen since the statistic was first measured in 2005.

There were 521,000 fewer people living at or near the poverty line in 2019 — the most recent year such data was available — than there were in 2013, according to de Blasio. That brings the poverty rate to just under 18 percent — compared to nearly 21 percent when he first took office — while those in near-poverty account for 41 percent compared to 47 percent at the beginning of his term.

“My mission for the past eight years has been to make our city a fairer place to live for those who had been left behind for too long,” de Blasio said, in a release. “These reports reveal that progressive policies from the $15 minimum wage to paid sick leave to universal pre-K are actually working to redistribute wealth, cut poverty, and uplift low-income New Yorkers across the city.”

Crime rising, but still near historic lows

Crime was up more than 21 percent across the city in November, although both murders and burglaries are down.

Nearly 10,200 crimes were reported to the New York Police Department across the city in November, compared to just under 8,400 the year before.

Gun arrests are also up significantly — nearly 8 percent — with the more than 4,100 arrests so far in 2021 the highest number since 1995.

While crime might be up over last year, NYPD officials do note that crime remains at historical lows. Total crime is actually down 11 percent since the beginning of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s term in 2013, and down 46 percent since 2000.

Crime rose 13 percent in the 50th Precinct in November while felony assaults and burglaries dropped.