Housing and Health

Housing conditions can drive health outcomes like asthma, lead poisoning, and carbon monoxide poisoning. We track housing neighborhood characteristics that can put people at risk - and special populations that are vulnerable.

Choose a neighborhood from the map to get a report.

Household crowding

Households with more than one person per room.

Homes with cracks or holes

Households reporting cracks or holes in the home. This maintenance problem is linked to mice, rats, and cockroaches - which can harm residents' health.

Old homes with peeling paint

Housing built before 1960 with peeling paint. This can put residents at risk of lead poisoning. Lead paint was banned from household paints in New York City in 1960 and in the USA in 1978.

Homes with leaks

Households reporting leaks from outside the unit. This maintenance problem can introduce mold, which can worsen respiratory conditions like asthma.

Homes using supplemental heat

Households using supplemental heat, like a space heater. This may mean a building's main heat source doesn't work. It can indicate the presence of other health-threatening maintenance deficiencies, and increase fire risk.

Homes with mice or rats in the building

Households reporting mice or rats in their building in the past 90 days (from when they were surveyed). The presence of rodents is associated with housing problems. These pests can contaminate food and worsen asthma.

Homes with cockroaches

The presence of cockroaches in the home is often associated with poor housing maintenance. Cockroaches in the home can contaminate food and worsen asthma.

Heat stress: yearly hospitalizations

Hospitalizations due to heat stress. These are part of the public health burden of hot weather.

Carbon monoxide incidents (without a detector)

Carbon monoxide incidents when there was no alarm. Carbon monoxide detectors are required in NYC homes by law. Failure to provide or maintain a detector can put people at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning and death.

Child poverty (under age 5)

Children living in households in poverty. Poverty deprives people of access to health and safety resources.

Elevated blood lead levels (under age 6)

Blood lead levels above 5 mcg/dL among children under age 6. Lead poisoning can cause learning and behavior problems, and delay growth and mental development. There is no safe level of lead in the blood.

Household air conditioning

Households reporting functioning air conditioning (AC). AC is an important way to prevent heat stress, especially for people with limited mobility.

Rent-burdened households

Renter households spending 30% of their income or more on rent.

Evictions (court-ordered)

Court-ordered evictions. Eviction often leads to residential instability, moving into poor quality housing, overcrowding, and homelessness, all of which is associated with negative health among adults and children. People who are threatened with eviction, even before they lose their home, are more likely to report poor health.

Asthma hospitalizations (age 5 to 17)

Hospitalizations for asthma. These more severe asthma outcomes are often clustered in high-poverty neighborhoods, where disinvestment and poor housing conditions expose residents to triggers.

Asthma hospitalizations (adults)

Hospitalizations for asthma. These more severe asthma outcomes are often clustered in high-poverty neighborhoods, where disinvestment and poor housing conditions expose residents to triggers.

Renter-occupied homes with any health-related housing problems

Renter-occupied homes with any health-related housing problems. Homes with housing problems can threaten the health of the people who live there.