These places seem to get far, far less press attention than Williamsburg and Park Slope. But, as of 2010, they have well over half a million people between them. The combined population of Districts 5, 11, and 18 is 22.3% of the population of Brooklyn and about the equal to the population of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Has Brooklyn gotten higher earning?





Kind of. In 2011, the Census estimated the median household in Brooklyn earned $42,752 a year. In 1999 the Census estimated the median household income in Brooklyn was...$42,852 (in 2011 dollars ; the listed figure in 1999 dollars is $32,135). That's compared to a national median household income of $50,502 (in 2011) and $55,999

This was, as you can see, a far greater increase than anywhere else in the borough--and District 6 already had the highest median household income in Brooklyn. Many of Brooklyn's Community Districts saw minimal change or even decreasing median household income.





We can also look at

income support.





From 2005-2011, the percentage of Brooklyn's population on income support actually increased, from 36.9% to 40.9%.



Just like Park Slope! No. In Park Slope's District 6, the percentage declined, from 18.9% to just 16%. Once again: Park Slope's district, already atypical, got even more unlike Brooklyn. (The percentage also declined in District 1, from 47.1% to 41.9%, although I suppose that's getting closer to Brooklyn's percentage. Part of the reason Williamsburg has such large percentage increases is that it's starting from a low base in several ways.)



The percentage of the population on income support declined in just six Community Districts out of eighteen: Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.



These six districts comprise more or less the area people talk about when they talk about gentrification and so on. It's basically the same group that had significantly rising median household income and the same group that got significantly whiter.



But these six districts collectively account for less than 30% of Brooklyn's 2010 population. More than 70% of Brooklyn lives in a community district where the percentage of people on income support actually increased from 2005-2011. Maybe that's not surprising, given the recession. But it's important.





Has Brooklyn gotten better educated?

This probably has the most to it. In 2000, 21.8% of Brooklyn's 25-and-over population had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 24.4% nationally. By 2011, that was up to 29.9%, compared to 28.5% nationally. Brooklyn's gone from being a bit less well-educated than the country to a bit more well-educated.

But Park Slope? Park Slope's District 6 went from 52.5% with a bachelor's degree to 65.3%! (Again, that's from a 2008-2010 two-year estimate.)









Williamsburg's District 1's percentage doubled, from 18.4% to 36.8%. Park Slope's district went from much more educated than Brooklyn to much, much more educated, and Williamsburg's district went from a little less educated than Brooklyn to much more educated than Brooklyn. But in this case, at least, the increase is more well-distributed than in some of the other cases.





We could also look at real estate prices (mostly because I want to have something from a non-Census source). This is from PropertyShark, via CityLimits , and it shows the increase in residential price per square foot from 2004-2012.





Williamsburg's prices increased 174% in 8 years. This is, to say the least, not representative of Brooklyn. It's nearly three times as large as the percentage increase in any other area. Community Districts 2 and 6 seem to cover many of the other areas that had large increases. And large swaths of the borough saw either decrease or stagnation.





I'll end with something positive. The original quote had two parts. The second was that Brooklyn, itself, is getting whiter, better educated, and higher earning. That's...not completely wrong, based on the information I have. Brooklyn is (a very small amount) whiter, (more significantly) better educated, and (arguably not even) higher earning.





(in 1999), again using 2011 dollars. In constant dollars, Brooklyn stagnated while incomes dropped elsewhere.What about Park Slope? The median household income in District 6 went from $66,736 in 2000 to $85,985 in a 2008-2010 two-year estimate (in constant dollars or something close).The Community District profiles include the percentage of the population on some form of income support: TANF, SSI, or Medicaid.