In Queens, New York, Black's Median Income Rises Above Whites

According to the latest Census data, the median income for black households in Queens $51,836 compared to $50,960 for non-Hispanic whites. "The gains among blacks in Queens, the city’s quintessential middle-class borough, were driven largely by the growth of two-parent families and the successes of immigrants from the West Indies." Hector Ricketts, a Jamaican immigrant, explains: "When immigrants come here, they’re not accustomed to social programs. When they see opportunities they had no access to â€" tuition or academic or practical training â€" they are God-sent, and they use those programs to build themselves and move forward."

According to Richard P. Nathan, co-director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, the middle-class black neighborhoods in Queens are similar to immigrant neighborhoods from the early 20th century. However, there are still income gaps in Queens' black community where immigrants, mostly from the Caribbean, are generally doing better than American-born blacks.