What are the poorest cities in America in 2019? The United States is popular for its opulence and the unimaginable success of its people. Around seven out of the ten richest people in the world are American. These people live in metropolitan areas with the best performing economies in the world. Nonetheless, this is not the story across all of America.
Metropolitan areas in the US have varying median income. For instance, metropolitan areas like San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (popularly known as Silicon Valley) have mind-blowing median incomes. As per the data from the 2010 US Census, the Silicon Valley Metro area had a median income of $40,392. Nonetheless, some metro areas have per capita income that is almost a joke in comparison to Silicon Valley. A previous ranking of the 25 poorest cities in America has all the evidence.
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This article undertakes to provide you with a comprehensive list of the top ten poorest cities/metro areas in America. As the methodology of this research, we ranked metro areas that have a population either of 500,000 or above. We used per capita income (median income) as captured by the 2010 US Census. In addition, we retrieved data from Biz Journals and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) concerning the largest employers in every metro area. Therefore, the number one metro area on our list will be the poorest city. Here is the list of the top ten poorest large cities in America.
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
According to the 2010 US Census data, this metro area packs 594,746 people. The data indicated that the median income in the metro area was $18,551. The largest employers in the metro area include Diocese of Youngstown, which operates a church and a school, General Motors, which operates an auto assembly factory, and Infocision, which operates a call center. Youngstown State University is also among the largest employers in the metro area.
Youngstown
San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
This metro area has a population of 1,592,383 going by the 2010 US Census data. The census also established that the per capita income within the metropolitan area was $18,518. In this metro area, the private sector is the largest employer. Particularly, the social services and healthcare sectors employ the largest number of residents of this metro area. Other sectors that anchor the economy of this metro area are retail trade, and accommodation and food services, among others. The top three employers in San Antonio are Methodist Healthcare System, Baptist Health System, and JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM).
san-antonio-347425_1280
SCRANTON--WILKES-BARRE--HAZLETON, PA
With a population of 624,776, the median income in this metropolitan area was $18,229. Over 264,000 people in this region work in the top five industries. The utility sector is the highest paying sector, while Healthcare and Social assistance is the largest employer, giving jobs to over 42,000 people. The top three employers by labor force size in Scranton include Tobyhanna Army Depot, which deals in electronics, Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), which deals in paper products, and the Diocese of Scranton.
SCRANTON PA
Mobile, Alabama
The metropolitan area boasts of 540, 258 in the total population. Of these people, the median income level is $18,126. Over 173,000 people make up the labor force for the economy of Mobile. The top two largest sectors in the City of Mobile are Health Care and Social assistance and Manufacturing. Utilities, Mining, and Manufacturing are the best paying industries in the region. The largest employer in Mobile County is the Mobile County Public schools. In the Manufacturing sector, Austal Limited (ASB) is the largest employer.
Mobile, Alabama
STOCKTON-LODI, CA
The Stockton-Lodi metro area has a population of 563,598 as per the 2010 US Census data. In terms of the per capita income, the region registered $17,365. More than 314,000 people work in the economy of the metro area. Majority of these employees work in the Health care and Social assistance sector, and retail trade. Utilities, Public administration, and management of private businesses are the best paying sectors. The biggest employer in Stockton is Amazon Corpnet (NASDAQ:AMZN).
STOCKTON-LODI
Bakersfield, CA.
The per capita income in the metro area is $15,760. Of the 661,645 people in the city, 342,000 provide the labor for the city’s economy. Most of these people work in the Agriculture sector, Healthcare and Social assistance, and retail trade. Mining and extraction, public administration, and utilities are the best paying sectors. The top three biggest employers in the metro area are Kern County, Giumarra Farms, and Grimmway Farms.
Bakersfield
Fresno, Ca.
According to the 2010 census data, this is the seventh-largest metro area in California, having a population of 922,516 people. The per capita income in this metro area is $15,386. About 412,000 people make up the labor force that powers the economy of Fresno. Healthcare and Social assistance top the list of largest employers followed by Retail trade and agriculture. Utilities, company management, and the public are the best paying sectors, respectively. AT&T (NYSE:T), Community Medical Center, and Beverly Healthcare are the biggest employers in Fresno.
Fresno
El Paso, Texas.
El Paso is the sixth-largest metro area in Texas boasting a population of 679,622. The per capita income in this area is $13,421. Over 358,000 people work in the economy of El Paso where over 49,000 work in Healthcare and Social Assistance. Close to 42,000 people work in Retail trade, and Educational services employ over 39,000. Management of companies, public administration, and professional services are the best paying sectors. Western refining is the largest employer in the City of El Paso.
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McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Texas. The region boasts of a population of 569,463 people and with a per capita income of $9,899. Largest industries in the metro area include Healthcare and Social Assistance, Retail trade, and Educational Services. Mining, Public administration, and manufacturing are the highest paying industries, respectively. The biggest employer in McAllen city is HEB Stores (HEB).
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, Puerto Rico
This is one of the largest, if not the largest, metropolitan area in Puerto Rico with a population of 2,450,292. The 2010 Census data shows that the median income for the metro area is $9,140. Of the over 2 million people, a little under 700,000 work in the economy of the metro area. The largest employer in San Juan is Triple-S (NYSE:GTS).
