Uneven Economic Change

THE STORY OF SUNSET PARK today is one of uneven economic change. Particularly over the last two decades, Sunset Park has been gentrifying. While the whole neighborhood is being affected by this change, it has not been evenly distributed nor does it benefit everyone. Gentrification and social change is happening more quickly in the north of Sunset Park.

Property values, among other things, have increased at a disproportionately high rate, particularly near Park Slope and Industry City. Between the 20062010 American Community Survey and the 2016-2020 American Community Survey, the median property value in Sunset Park rose by 19.15%, while it only rose by 9.81% in Brooklyn and 3.89% in New York City as a whole. This change is localized in the north of Sunset Park and in pockets near and along 8th Avenue.

Median household income has also increased at a higher rate than the rest of New York City, yet the median household income of Sunset Park still remains lower than that of Brooklyn or New York City as a whole. Even more than median property value, the increase in median household income has been concentrated in the northernmost part of Sunset Park.

Median Household Income

The census tracts with the highest median incomes are also the whitest and have the smallest percentage of foreign-born people. The maps of median household income and percentage of white population by tract overlap almost perfectly. They are also almost the inverse of the map of the distribution of the foreignborn population. The median household income in these tracts is much higher, sometimes more than double, that of other tracts.