Gentrified Springfield Gardens Sees Job Market Plummet: Study

SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, QUEENS -- Springfield Gardens may be among New York City's most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, but unlike its counterparts, those changes haven't been good for its job market, according to the Comptrollers Office.

New York City's most gentrified neighborhoods have, for the most part, experienced far more significant job booms over the last six years than areas with consistent rent price college graduate numbers, according to a study recently released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer's office.

But in Springfield Gardens, the only Queens neighborhood listed among the city's most gentrified locales, the number of jobs has actually tanked by 37 percent since 2010 - from 3,588 to 2,268 in 2016 - despite its rising rent costs and number college-educated residents, which analysts used to measure gentrification.

The report, titled "New York Neighborhood Economic Profiles," found Springfield Gardens' rent has spiked by 25 percent - from $881 to $1,102 - and its number of bachelor's degree holders rose from 19 percent to 26 percent in that same time period.

The neighborhood's results are a stark contrast to the booming employment markets of New York City's other top gentrified neighborhoods such as Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Claremont-Bathgate in the Bronx, which saw local jobs roughly double with the changes since 2010.

But job booms in those neighborhoods have their own set of problems, often making it harder for non-white workers to find employment, according to the study.

"New jobs...are rarely filled by people of color, even though they continue to represent the vast majority of local residents," analysts wrote.

"Displacement, then, can be as much a psychological and existential phenomenon as a physical one."

Springfield Gardens was among only three of the study's most gentrified neighborhoods to see their job numbers decline as gentrification rose. Manhattanville's local employment dropped by 10 percent, despite a 26 percent increase in rent, and Staten Island's Grasmere/Arrochar/Ft. Wadsworth area saw its job market drop by 29 percent, despite a 26 percent spike in rent, according to the report.

The study concluded with a handful of recommendations for city lawmakers to address the growing job disparity in the city's gentrifying neighborhoods. Among them were amping up workforce development programs for small businesses, which provided the majority of the local employment, and increasing job training programs that focus on arts, entertainment, and dining.

"Clearly, good paying jobs abound in New York City," analysts said.

"The imperative is not only for government to help 'create' high-paying jobs, but also to ensure that New Yorkers of all races, ethnicities, incomes, and neighborhoods are sufficiently educated, trained, and prepared for these positions."

Lead photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images