The income gap in Manhattan is increasing, causing the island to become extremely divided and resulting in some racial disparities, according to Census Bureau data as reported by The New York Times.

The mean income of the top 5 percent of households in Manhattan increased by 9 percent in 2013, compared to 2012, giving Manhattan the largest income gap in the country.

The top 5 percent of households earned $864,394, or 88 times as much as the poorest 20 percent, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, The New York Times reported.

Whites had the highest median income at $75,145, but the lowest income was Hispanics at $36,196.

But household incomes increased in every New York City borough, except for Staten Island.

"The recovery seems to be going to those at the top, much more than those in the middle, while those at the bottom may even be losing ground," said Andrew A. Beveridge, a sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New York.

Beveridge said that the increasing costs of housing, paired with the lack of housing subsidies, has contributed to the problems facing needy families.

In the meantime, the wealthiest are gaining from the rebounding economy, which includes the rise in the financial industry of hedge funds and investment banks.

Metropolitan New York had a modest decline in median household income -- the ratio between the top 20 and the bottom 20 has increased by 7 points since the 2006 average of 36 -- compared with other major metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles and Phoenix, based on an analysis by William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution.

City-wide poverty remained at about 21 percent, or 1.7 million people, but more people were living below the federal poverty threshold in 2013. In 2012 the threshold was $11,170 for an individual and $23,050 for a family of four.

"It means that despite the fact that the recession is over we're still seeing no basic improvement in poverty levels, and for African-Americans it seems to be getting gradually worse," said David R. Jones, president of the Community Service Society, a research and advocacy group. "The escalation in rents is driving people to the wall."

Less than half of all New York city households said they spent at least 35 percent of their income on housing expenses.