What If New York City Were Only 100 People

I love New York City. The food, the art, the culture, the diversity, the green spaces, the architecture, the non-stop flow of work and life – no matter where you go, there is something to experience! A major part of what makes New York City so captivating is the people; they are a tenacious medley of people from all walks of life. The New York Times has created this interactive slideshow exploring how inequalities exacerbated the impact of COVID-19. We have provided the full chart below (which was found on BoredPanda), but be sure to read through the slideshow for the full experience:

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I appreciate that they used census data to execute this insightful art piece, and noted at the start that “census data is often imperfect at capturing reality. It doesn’t reflect all ethnic identities nor does it show the full spectrum of gender identity.” It is always important to keep in mind the limitations of data when making assumptions about a place or community. I was surprised to find that only 10 would have an annual income of $105,000 – we often imagine New York City as glamorous and exorbitant, but in reality, 19 of the 100 people live in poverty. I was also impressed to learn that 68 of the 100 would be people of color and 37 would be immigrants. New York City truly is a melting pot of stories, opportunities, struggles, and triumphs! Mona Chalabi is the illustrator who created this insightful piece – you can check out her website here.