New York’s Essential Workers: Overlooked, Underpaid, and Indispensable

This study shows that “essential workers” in New York State are disproportionately likely to be women, immigrants, Black, and Latinx, although at levels that vary across different regions of the state and in urban vs. suburban or rural areas. These workers—who have played a critical role in keeping services functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic—also suffer high rates of poverty, with many supporting their families on family incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line. The study draws on five year (2014-2018) American Community Survey estimates to look at the state as a whole, New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and upstate New York. The category of “essential workers” includes those in the public transit and delivery and warehouse industries; supermarket, drugstore and convenience store workers; those providing social services; childcare workers; and healthcare workers. Statewide, for example, there are 2.2 million “essential workers”, 22 percent of whom have family incomes of less than 200 percent of the poverty level. Although women make up 49 percent of all workers, they are 65 percent of essential workers; immigrants are 28 percent of all workers but 33 percent of essential workers; Blacks, whether U.S.-born or immigrants, are 14 percent of all workers and 22 percent of essential workers; and Latinx workers are 18 percent of all workers but 20 percent of essential workers. In New York City, with almost half of all “essential workers” in the state (24 percent of them earning below 200% of poverty level), women are 63 percent of essential workers but 49 percent of all workers; immigrants are 53 percent of essential workers but 45 percent of all workers; Blacks are one-third of essential workers but 21 percent all workers; and Latinx workers are 30 percent of essential workers but 27 percent of all workers. In upstate New York, by comparison, Women are 66 percent of essential workers but 49 percent of employed workers overall; Blacks are just 10 percent of essential workers and 6 percent of all workers; immigrants make up 7 percent of both overall employed workers and essential workers; and Latinx workers are 5 percent of essential workers but approximately 4 percent of all workers.

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