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The Poverty Research Team is responsible for the development of CEO's poverty measure. The work has received nationwide attention and contributed to recently announced plans for a Federal Supplemental Poverty Measure.

Team members regularly consult with researchers and statisticians from around the country to aid in the development of comparable local measures. The Team also provides data on income, employment, and poverty for use by City Agencies. The Research Team is led by the CEO Director of Poverty Research, Dr. Mark Levitan.

Working Paper: The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005-2011

The NYC Center for Economic Opportunity's annual report on poverty, "The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005 – 2011," reflects a turning point for the New York City economy. The proportion of working age New Yorkers holding a job rose and the recession-related fall in annual earnings was stopped. Stabilized earnings, expanded tax initiatives and increased enrollment in nutritional assistance programs left the 2011 CEO poverty rate statistically unchanged from 2010, highlighting the importance of both an improving economy and the social safety net.
Read the report (in PDF)

Past Working Papers

CEO's first working paper on poverty in New York City, issued in August of 2008, contrasted poverty rates for 2006 derived from CEO's application of the NAS methodology against those based on the official method. The 2010 report focused on how and why poverty rates using our methodology have changed over time, using the one-year ACS samples for 2005 to 2008.
Policy Affects Poverty: The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005-2009 (March 2011) (in PDF)”
The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005-2008 (March 2010) (in PDF)
The Executive Summary for The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005-2008 (March 2010) (in PDF)
The CEO Poverty Measure (August 2008) (in PDF)

National Interest

The U.S. Census Bureau released its first research report on the new Supplemental Poverty Measure in November 2011. This effort was informed by the work of the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity, which released its first report on an alternative measure for New York City in 2008. The new Supplemental Measure provides a more realistic picture of poverty by accounting for both families’ resources and their expenses. This work is based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences.
U.S. Census Report (in PDF)
Statement by Mayor Bloomberg
CEO Poverty Measure Reports

Learn more

CEO Staff

Levitan, Mark et al. “Using the American Community Survey to create a National Academy of Sciences-Style Poverty Measure: Work by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Volume 29, Issue 2, pages 373-386, Spring 2010

Levitan, Mark et al. “Understanding Local Poverty: Lessons from New York City’s Center for Economic Opportunity” Pathways, Stanford University, Fall 2011
Understanding Local Poverty: Lessons from New York City’s Center for Economic Opportunity (in PDF)

D’Onofrio, Christine, Mark Levitan et al. “The Status of Women in Poverty Using Alternative Poverty Measures: New York City’s Local Area Estimate”, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, August 2012
The Status of Women in Poverty Using Alternative Poverty Measures: New York City’s Local Area Estimate (in PDF)

Levitan, Mark and Daniel Scheer “Effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on the New York City poverty rate”, IRP Discussion Paper No. 1398-12, November 2011
Effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on the New York City poverty rate (in PDF)

Levitan, Mark et al. “Accounting for Housing Needs in a High Rent City: Poverty Research by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity”, prepared for 32^nd Annual Research Conference of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, November 4-6, 2010
Accounting for Housing Needs in a High Rent City: Poverty Research by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity (in PDF)

Potter, Frank et al. “Imputation Variance Estimation Protocols for the NAS Poverty Measure: The New York City Poverty Measure Experience”, JSM
Imputation Variance Estimation Protocols for the NAS Poverty Measure: The New York City Poverty Measure Experience (in PDF)

Levitan, Mark and Trudi Renwick “Using the American Community Survey to Implement a National Academy of Sciences-Style Poverty Measure: A Comparison of Imputation Strategies”, JSM 2010
Using the American Community Survey to Implement a National Academy of Sciences-Style Poverty Measure: A Comparison of Imputation Strategies (in PDF)

Virgin, Vicky in partnership with NYC CEO, “Creating the CEO Poverty Unit: An Evaluation Using the CPS ASEC”, June 10, 2011
Creating the CEO Poverty Unit: An Evaluation Using the CPS ASEC (in PDF)

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