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.

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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States (PPAAUS00000A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about child, poverty, percent, and USA.

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.

Number of poor at $5.5 a day of United States of America remained stable at 5.7 million persons over the last 1 years. Number of people living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government

Poverty-related data with margins of error based on status determination at Alaskan Borough/CDA level for recent 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) intervals. The 5-year interval data sets are published approximately 1/2 a period later than the End Year listed - for instance the interval ending in 2019 is published in mid-2021.Source: US Census Bureau, American Community SurveyThis data has been visualized in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) format and is provided as a service in the DCRA Information Portal by the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Division of Community and Regional Affairs (SOA DCCED DCRA), Research and Analysis section. SOA DCCED DCRA Research and Analysis is not the authoritative source for this data. For more information and for questions about this data, see: US Census Bureau, Poverty DataUSE CONSTRAINTS: The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) provides the data in this application as a service to the public. DCCED makes no warranty, representation, or guarantee as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided on this site. DCCED shall not be liable to the user for damages of any kind arising out of the use of data or information provided. DCCED is not the authoritative source for American Community Survey data, and any data or information provided by DCCED is provided "as is". Data or information provided by DCCED shall be used and relied upon only at the user's sole risk.For information about the American Community Survey, click here.

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.

Globally, the gap between the richest and poorest population is widening, and United States of America is no exception. Waldo Tobler's First Law of Geography states that near things are more related than distant things, which can sometimes be seen within a map as clustering of features. Use this map to explore the distribution of households within the income extremes.The app allows the user to explore an area by typing an area of interest into the search bar. Dot density is used to represent multiple households per dot and are contained within census tract boundaries. A pop-up appears at larger scales in order to provide a chart comparing the household count for the highest and lowest income ranges. The highest income range covers households which make $200,000 or more a year. The lowest income range shows households making less than $25,000 a year. The map is shown from 36M scale to 72K scale and is designed to be displayed on the Dark Gray Canvas Basemap.The data within this map comes from Esri's Updated Demographics. The vintage of the data and boundaries is 2015.

This research describes the demographic attributes of both rich and poor households, and also the composition of their holdings. The data are drawn from surveys of household wealth conducted for the Federal Reserve Board in 1983, 1989, and 1992, years that approximate the turning points of the 1982-1991 business cycle.

United States US: Account: Income: Poorest 40%: % Aged 15+ data was reported at 87.116 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 80.995 % for 2011. United States US: Account: Income: Poorest 40%: % Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 84.056 % from Dec 2011 (Median) to 2014, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 87.116 % in 2014 and a record low of 80.995 % in 2011. United States US: Account: Income: Poorest 40%: % Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Banking Indicators. Denotes the percentage of respondents who report having an account (by themselves or together with someone else). For 2011, this can be an account at a bank or another type of financial institution, and for 2014 this can be a mobile account as well (see year-specific definitions for details) (income, poorest 40%, % age 15+). [ts: data are available for multiple waves].; ; Demirguc-Kunt et al., 2015, Global Financial Inclusion Database, World Bank.; Weighted average;

4.1 (million persons) in 2018. Number of people living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).

These data identify persistent poverty counties for 10|20|30 funding formulas. In these counties, at least 20% of the population had incomes below poverty in 1997, 2007, 2017, and 2020 as estimated by the Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) from the US Census Bureau. These data also indicate how many times a county met this threshold for these 4 periods (from 0 to 4). In addition, these data include the total number of census tracts and tracts consisting of 20% or more of the population with incomes below poverty (considered "high poverty" tracts) based on the 2015-2019 American Community Survey estimates. The data also include the percent in poverty and the population in poverty for these four periods. Please note that LINC also includes historical data on poverty from the American Community Survey and the 2000 and before decennial census. These estimates may differ. In addition, the choice of different time periods may lead to different results regarding persistent poverty counties and numbers of high poverty census tracts.

In 2023, the poverty rate of the United States was around **** percent. Louisiana was the state with the highest poverty rate, at **** percent. Poverty rates in the United States are higher than in many parts of the world, and minority groups are much more likely to be living in poverty when compared to white people.

This map compares the relationship between annual average particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) air quality data for the US between 1998 and 2016 to the percent of households that are below the poverty level. Poverty data is from the American Community Survey estimates and air quality data is from NASA SEDAC gridded data aggregated to states, counties, congressional districts, and 50km hex bins. Click on the map to view more information such as the trend over time.
Click here to view more information on how this layer was created.
Citations:

Number of poor at $5.5 a day of Micronesia (Federated States of) remained stable by 0.00% from 0.1 million persons in 2005 to 0.1 million persons in 2013. Number of people living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government

Table from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year series on poverty and employment status related topics for City of Seattle Council Districts, Comprehensive Plan Growth Areas and Community Reporting Areas. Table includes B23025 Employment Status for the Population 16 years and over, B23024 Poverty Status by Disability Status by Employment Status for the Population 20 to 64 years, B17010 Poverty Status of Families by Family Type by Presence of Related Children under 18 years, C17002 Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months. Data is pulled from block group tables for the most recent ACS vintage and summarized to the neighborhoods based on block group assignment.Table created for and used in the Neighborhood Profiles application.Vintages: 2023ACS Table(s): B23025, B23024, B17010, C17002Data downloaded from: Census Bureau's Explore Census Data The United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS):About the SurveyGeography & ACSTechnical DocumentationNews & UpdatesThis ready-to-use layer can be used within ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, its configurable apps, dashboards, Story Maps, custom apps, and mobile apps. Data can also be exported for offline workflows. Please cite the Census and ACS when using this data.<d

United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 917304254.00000 Persons in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 917304254.00000 in January of 2023 and a record low of 161734348.00000 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population, Total for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Gross Domestic Product for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries was 1129946910802.31008 Current $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Gross Domestic Product for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries reached a record high of 1129946910802.31008 in January of 2023 and a record low of 17413068781.30680 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Gross Domestic Product for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.

This statistic represents the tax burden of the poorest ** percent in the U.S. in year 2018, by state. The tax rate is the total average state and local taxes as a percentage of income. In 2018, the poorest ** percent in Washington paid almost **** percent of their family income as a tax.