In 2021, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the city with the highest poverty rate of the United States' most populated cities. In this statistic, the cities are sorted by poverty rate, not population. The most populated city in 2021 according to the source was New York city - which had a poverty rate of 18 percent.

In 2021, the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania had the highest family poverty rate of the 25 most populated cities in the United States. The city with the next highest poverty rate was Houston, Texas.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Poverty (EQ5)

FULL MEASURE NAME
The share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit

LAST UPDATED
January 2023

DESCRIPTION
Poverty refers to the share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit, which varies based on the number of individuals in a given household. It reflects the number of individuals who are economically struggling due to low household income levels.

DATA SOURCE
U.S Census Bureau: Decennial Census - http://www.nhgis.org
1980-2000

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey - https://data.census.gov/
2007-2021
Form C17002

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@mtc.ca.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
The U.S. Census Bureau defines a national poverty level (or household income) that varies by household size, number of children in a household, and age of householder. The national poverty level does not vary geographically even though cost of living is different across the United States. For the Bay Area, where cost of living is high and incomes are correspondingly high, an appropriate poverty level is 200% of poverty or twice the national poverty level, consistent with what was used for past equity work at MTC and ABAG. For comparison, however, both the national and 200% poverty levels are presented.

For Vital Signs, the poverty rate is defined as the number of people (including children) living below twice the poverty level divided by the number of people for whom poverty status is determined. The household income definitions for poverty change each year to reflect inflation. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or non-cash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid and food stamps).

For the national poverty level definitions by year, see: US Census Bureau Poverty Thresholds - https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html.

For an explanation on how the Census Bureau measures poverty, see: How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty - https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data is used for larger geographies – Bay counties and most metropolitan area counties – while smaller geographies rely upon 5-year rolling average data due to their smaller sample sizes. Note that 2020 data uses the 5-year estimates because the ACS did not collect 1-year data for 2020.

To be consistent across metropolitan areas, the poverty definition for non-Bay Area metros is twice the national poverty level. Data were not adjusted for varying income and cost of living levels across the metropolitan areas.

In 2021, New York city had the highest number of people living below the poverty line, with 1.4 million people living in poverty. This is significantly higher than any of the other most populated cities.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in St. Louis city, MO (S1701ACS029510) from 2012 to 2023 about St. Louis City, MO; St. Louis; MO; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area in Texas was ranked first with 27.2 percent of its population living below the poverty level in 2023. Eagle Pass, Texas had the second-highest poverty rate, at 24.4 percent.

The Census Bureau determines that a person is living in poverty when his or her total household income compared with the size and composition of the household is below the poverty threshold. The Census Bureau uses the federal government's official definition of poverty to determine the poverty threshold. Beginning in 2000, individuals were presented with the option to select one or more races. In addition, the Census asked individuals to identify their race separately from identifying their Hispanic origin. The Census has published individual tables for the races and ethnicities provided as supplemental information to the main table that does not dissaggregate by race or ethnicity. Race categories include the following - White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Some other race, and Two or more races. We are not including specific combinations of two or more races as the counts of these combinations are small. Ethnic categories include - Hispanic or Latino and White Non-Hispanic. This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates, table B17001. The ACS collects these data from a sample of households on a rolling monthly basis. ACS aggregates samples into one-, three-, or five-year periods. CTdata.org generally carries the five-year datasets, as they are considered to be the most accurate, especially for geographic areas that are the size of a county or smaller.Poverty status determined is the denominator for the poverty rate. It is the population for which poverty status was determined so when poverty is calculated they exclude institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years of age.Below poverty level are households as determined by the thresholds based on the criteria of looking at household size, Below poverty level are households as determined by the thresholds based on the criteria of looking at household size, number of children, and age of householder.number of children, and age of householder.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Salt Lake County, UT (S1701ACS049035) from 2012 to 2023 about Salt Lake County, UT; Salt Lake City; UT; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Baltimore city, MD (S1701ACS024510) from 2012 to 2023 about Baltimore City, MD; Baltimore; MD; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

This layer shows poverty status by age group. Data is from US Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates.This layer is symbolized to show the percentage of the population whose income falls below the Federal poverty line. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right (in ArcGIS Online). To view only the census tracts that are predominantly in Tempe, add the expression City is Tempe in the map filter settings.A ‘Null’ entry in the estimate indicates that data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small (per the U.S. Census).Vintage: 2017-2021ACS Table(s): B17020 (Not all lines of these ACS tables are available in this feature layer.)Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's API for American Community Survey Data Preparation: Data curated from Esri Living Atlas clipped to Census Tract boundaries that are within or adjacent to the City of Tempe boundaryDate of Census update: December 8, 2022National Figures: data.census.govAdditional Census data notes and data processing notes are available at the Esri Living Atlas Layer:https://tempegov.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=0e468b75bca545ee8dc4b039cbb5aff6 (Esri's Living Atlas always shows latest data)

This map symbolizes the relative percentages of adults living below the poverty level for the City's 12 Data Divisions, aggregating the tract-level estimates from the the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2018 five-year samples. Please refer to the map's legend for context to the color shading -- darker hues indicate a higher level of adults living below the poverty level.If you click on each Data Division, you can view other Census demographic information about that Data Division in addition to the population count.About the Census Data:The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey's 2014-2018 five-year samples. The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey conducted by the federal government that provides vital information annually about America and its population. Information from the survey generates data that help determine how more than $675 billion in federal and state funds are distributed each year.For more information about the Census Bureau's ACS data and process of constructing the survey, visit the ACS's About page.About the City's Data Divisions:As a planning analytic tool, an interdepartmental working group divided Rochester into 12 “data divisions.” These divisions are well-defined and static so they are positioned to be used by the City of Rochester for statistical and planning purposes. Census data is tied to these divisions and serves as the basis for analyses over time. As such, the data divisions are designed to follow census boundaries, while also recognizing natural and human-made boundaries, such as the River, rail lines, and highways. Historical neighborhood boundaries, while informative in the division process, did not drive the boundaries. Data divisions are distinct from the numerous neighborhoods in Rochester. Neighborhood boundaries, like quadrant boundaries, police precincts, and legislative districts often change, which makes statistical analysis challenging when looking at data over time. The data division boundaries, however, are intended to remain unchanged. It is hoped that over time, all City data analysts will adopt the data divisions for the purpose of measuring change over time throughout the city.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Newport News city, VA (S1701ACS051700) from 2012 to 2023 about Newport News City, VA; Virginia Beach; VA; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

In 2023, Wildwood-The Villages metropolitan area in Florida was ranked first, with 39.3 percent of its population aged under 18 years living below the poverty level. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area in Texas had the second-highest rate of child poverty in the nation.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Roanoke city, VA (S1701ACS051770) from 2012 to 2023 about Roanoke City, VA; Roanoke; VA; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

In 2023, **** percent of Black people living in the United States were living below the poverty line, compared to *** percent of white people. That year, the total poverty rate in the U.S. across all races and ethnicities was **** percent. Poverty in the United States Single people in the United States making less than ****** U.S. dollars a year and families of four making less than ****** U.S. dollars a year are considered to be below the poverty line. Women and children are more likely to suffer from poverty, due to women staying home more often than men to take care of children, and women suffering from the gender wage gap. Not only are women and children more likely to be affected, racial minorities are as well due to the discrimination they face. Poverty data Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States had the third highest poverty rate out of all OECD countries in 2019. However, the United States' poverty rate has been fluctuating since 1990, but has been decreasing since 2014. The average median household income in the U.S. has remained somewhat consistent since 1990, but has recently increased since 2014 until a slight decrease in 2020, potentially due to the pandemic. The state that had the highest number of people living below the poverty line in 2020 was California.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People Age 0-17 in Poverty for Richmond City, VA (PPU18VA51760A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about Richmond City, VA; Richmond; under 18 years; VA; percent; child; poverty; and USA.

In 2021, New York city had the highest number of families living below the poverty line, at an estimated 272,461 families. New York city is also the most heavily populated city in the United States.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Norton city, VA (S1701ACS051720) from 2012 to 2023 about Norton City, VA; VA; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Richmond city, VA (S1701ACS051760) from 2012 to 2023 about Richmond City, VA; Richmond; VA; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Fairfax city, VA (S1701ACS051600) from 2012 to 2023 about Fairfax City, VA; Washington; VA; percent; poverty; 5-year; population; and USA.