Does the place where we live matter? A comparison of social and health indicators of Haitians living in Miami and New York

According to the 2010 Census, close to 1 million people of Haitian ancestry live in the USA. The largest Haitian communities are located in New York and Miami, with around 156,000 and 100,000 Haitian-Americans, respectively. In New York City (NYC), the largest concentration is located in Brooklyn (approximately 90,000), primarily in Flatbush, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Carnasie. In Miami the largest settlement is in Little Haiti (North Maimi) with around 50,000 Haitians.

Method: Demographic, social, educational and health indicators for Little Haiti (and Miami-Dade County) and Brooklyn (and NYC) were obtained from the 2010 Census, and the state health departments of Forida and New York.  Descriptive comparative analyses were then performed.

Results:  A preliminary analysis of Little Haiti data shows an average individual income 41% lower than that of Miami-Dade County (MDC). Little Haiti’s median household income ($28,000) is also 44.2% lower than MDC($47,000). The poverty rate of Little Haiti is nearly twice that of MDC, and the  unemployment rate is four times that of MDC. The proportion of adults graduating high school is 61.6% compared to 63.8% for MDC. Rates of infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDs, TB and STDs are double the rates of MDC. Little Haiti’s infant mortality rate, proportion of low birth weight, and birth to teens are also over represented. The analysis of data for Brooklyn and NYC are in currently in progress.

Conclusion: The identification of disparities affecting a subset of the population in a geographic area, is a first step in working towards quality of life improvements.