Essential services like hot and cold running water as well as access to a stove are taken for granted by many New Yorkers. But disadvantaged population groups like racial and ethnic minorities and the foreign born often live without them. EMS response times is another key measure that compares the outer boroughs and Manhattan. Finally, access to high-speed Internet, considered a necessity for employment and other critical functions of daily life, varies by racial and ethnic group.

To understand Essential Needs and Services as a function of inequality, we used four indicators:

• Race & Hot/Cold Running Water
• Race & Internet Access
• Immigration Status & Stove/Range
• Location & EMS Response Times

Take a look at the chart to your right for an overall picture of this topic, and then look at each indicator and the scores in context for more detail and additional findings.