Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Political Science

Advisor

John Mollenkopf

Subject Categories

Political Science | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Keywords

New York City, Workers, Economic Displacement, Lower-Income, Policy

Abstract

This paper examines New York City’s “missing middle”—workers earning between $34,320 and $65,000 annually—who represent roughly one-quarter of the city’s labor force and play a critical role across systems of care, transportation, education, public safety, and other services. Yet prevailing policy approaches to defining need and allocating affordability—household income thresholds and AMI-based targeting—do not adequately support housing affordability and leave workers in this income range vulnerable to economic displacement. Displacement often takes “quiet” forms—crowding, doubling up, short-term arrangements, and within-city moves that preserve residency while eroding stability.

NYCHVS data show why these adaptations become necessary. Rent burdens remain high below $70,000, and vacancy is near zero at accessible rent levels. Mobility under these conditions reflects economic pressure more than opportunity. Movement patterns also point to replacement, as higher-income renters occupy units vacated by lower- and moderate-income households, contributing to rising rents and a shrinking affordable supply.

These dynamics are not politically neutral. 2025 election results show that political behavior within the $34k–$65k income range varies by race and place and cannot be explained by income alone. Support patterns diverge across districts, and the relationship between housing pressure and electoral response is not linear—affordability stress can mobilize voters, but also produce disengagement or volatility when policy solutions feel inaccessible or are filtered through differing political ideologies.

Taken together, the findings point to a structural affordability gap that is both economic and institutional. Wages in this range do not reliably secure stable housing, while prevailing policy tools—deep subsidies, emergency assistance, and AMI-based “affordable” production—often bypass these workers. A worker-centered lens highlights what household statistics can obscure: the extent to which the city’s housing system relies on informal and crowded arrangements to sustain this workforce.

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