Data Notes

The Where We Live Data Explorer is an online interactive tool that allows users to visualize select information collected as part of the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS).The tool was created by the Center for Research on Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) for Where We Live.

The NYCHVS is a citywide survey that collects a wide range of information on New York City’s housing, households, and people. All of the data on the WWL Data Explorer is based on the number of people living in permanent housing in New York City as of the year of the survey.

Like all sample surveys, the NYCHVS is subject to sampling error. All counts and percentages in the Data Explorer are estimates. The corresponding margins of error (MOE) are in the roll-over tool tip and represent a 90 percent confidence level. This confidence interval indicates that if data on every person were collected for that measure, 90 times out of 100 the actual value of the estimate would fall somewhere between the lower and upper bound.

Statistical quality measures were applied to assess the relative amount of sampling error associated with a given estimate. This was done by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV), which is the standard error of the estimate divided by the estimate itself. In general, the NYCHVS considers an estimate that has a CV of less than 0.20 to be reliable. Estimates with a CV of 0.20 to 0.30 are presented with ** next to the number to alert the reader to use caution when interpreting the estimate. Generally, estimates that have a CV of 0.30 and higher were replaced with **. In rare instances, estimates with a CV above 0.30 are shown with *** next to the number. Margins of error are not shown where the population estimate was controlled to an independent estimate (e.g., total people by borough); these are marked as *****. The WWL Data Explorer was produced using publicly available microdata.