In this article, we look at the 50 poorest cities in every state in the US – the poorest city in each US state. You can skip our detailed analysis, and head directly to the 10 Poorest Cities in Every State in the US.
The United States is divided by its glaring income inequality, with slices of wealthy groups coexisting with pockets of poverty affected population across the country. Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau stated the nationwide poverty rate at 11.6% in 2021, with nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line - $27,479 for a family of four. Native Americans were the most poverty-stricken community in the country with a poverty rate of 24.9%, followed by African Americans at 19.5%, and Hispanics at 17.1%.
The five richest cities in the United States in order are Midland (TX), San Jose (CA), San Francisco (CA), Seattle (WA), and Princeton (NJ). You can read more about this in our article, 30 Richest Cities in the United States. Much of their wealth is due to the presence of big corporations in these cities. For example, American multinational financial services company Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is based in San Francisco. The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) was founded by William Boeing in 1916 in Seattle and the city’s office served as the headquarters of the company until 2001 when The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) moved the headquarters to Chicago.
When it comes to states, California is the richest state in the United States, having a GDP of over $3.5 trillion – close to the size of India’s economy. The state has over one million millionaires and the highest number of billionaires in the country. On the other hand, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Kentucky are the five poorest states in the US in terms of poverty rates according to US News.
Several corporations have been undertaking initiatives to accelerate economic growth and reduce inequalities. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has launched TechSpark, a program to provide digital skills and access to rural communities across the 50 states of the United States. Computer Science education expanded to 88% of the schools in Northeast Wisconsin under this development opportunity offered by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). In 2021, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) announced a $15 million collaboration with ideas42, a nonprofit organization, to focus on alleviating cost burdens and increase pathways to economic activities in low and moderate income communities. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is one of the leading financial services companies in the country which serves one in three households, and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched its Employee Giving Program in 2011, which has raised over $880 million for 44,000 organizations since its inception 12 years ago. It involves connecting an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) employee with those in need of assistance in difficult situations, ranging from poverty to depression and domestic abuse. For each hour spent by an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) volunteer or dollar they donate, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) matches that with an equal monetary contribution. In addition to this program, the company also donates millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations.
Let's now head over to the list of the poorest cities in every state in the US.
Methodology
For our list of the poorest cities in every state in the US, we have used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) on poverty status in the past 12 months. Poorest city in each state has been identified based on poverty rates. Only those cities that were surveyed have been considered in our rankings. The poorest cities covered in this article are sorted in ascending order of high poverty rates, instead of alphabetical order of state or city names.
There were two states, West Virginia and Vermont, whose cities were not covered in the survey. Their poorest cities have been determined using other independent publications. In the case where poverty rates of two or more cities were exactly the same, their median household incomes were used as a tie-breaker.
Here are the poorest cities in every state in the US:
50 poorest cities in every state in the US
50. Anchorage, Alaska
Poverty Rate: 9.1%
Anchorage is the poorest city in Alaska, with a poverty rate of 9.1%.
49. Cheyenne, Wyoming
Poverty Rate: 9.1%
Cheyenne, with a poverty rate of 9.1% is the poorest city in Wyoming as per the survey.
48. Idaho Falls, Idaho
Poverty Rate: 10.8%
Idaho Falls is the county seat of Bonneville County, and the second largest city in the state outside the Boise metropolitan area. It is the poorest city in Idaho.
47. Manchester, New Hampshire
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
Manchester is the poorest city in New Hampshire.
46. Portland, Maine
Poverty Rate: 11.8%
Portland was the only city in Maine where poverty was determined in the American Community Survey of 2021. It is ranked 46th on our list with a poverty rate of 11.8%.
45. Rapid City, South Dakota
Poverty Rate: 12.2%
Among the cities considered from South Dakota in the ACS, Rapid City was the poorest with a poverty rate of 12.2%.
44. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
Poverty Rate: 12.9%
Hawaii’s capital city, Honolulu, also ranks as its poorest. This is due to only one Hawaii city being considered in the ACS.
43. Fargo, North Dakota
Poverty Rate: 13.2%
Fargo is the poorest city in North Dakota, having a poverty rate of 13.2% which is over 20% higher than the state average of 11.1%.
42. Lincoln, Nebraska
Poverty Rate: 13.9%
Lincoln, named after the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, is the capital city of the state of Nebraska. In 2021, 13.9% of the city’s residents had an income below the poverty level.
41. Ogden, Utah
Poverty Rate: 15.5%
Ogden had the highest poverty rate among the cities in Utah that were surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2021. With a poverty rate of 15.5%, it is the poorest city in the state.
40. Missoula, Montana
Poverty Rate: 16.2%
Missoula had a poverty rate of 16.2%, with over 11,000 people living below poverty levels in 2021. It is the poorest city in the state of Montana.
39. Eugene, Oregon
Poverty Rate: 16.3%
In 2021, an estimated 16.3% of the population lived below the poverty level, while the state poverty rate was recorded at 12.2% across Oregon.
38. Greeley, Colorado
Poverty Rate: 17.4%
Greeley is the poorest city in Colorado according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Founded in 1869, it is the tenth most populous city in the state.
37. Las Cruces, New Mexico
Poverty Rate: 18.4%
Located at the edge of the Chihuahua Desert, Las Cruces is the poorest city in New Mexico, with 18.4% of its population in 2021 living below the poverty line. It is also one of the poorest cities in the United States.
36. Duluth, Minnesota
Poverty Rate: 18.5%
Duluth has the highest concentrated poverty rate in all of Minnesota, according to the American Community Survey 2021.
35. Huntington, West Virginia
Poverty Rate: 18.6%
No city in West Virginia was part of the American Community Survey 2021 held the U.S. Census Bureau to determine poverty levels, so we referred to another source, West Virginia Demographics, to identify the poorest city in the state. 18.6% of residents in Huntington live below poverty levels.
34. Bellingham, Washington
Poverty Rate: 19.8%
Bellingham is the poorest city in Washington, with nearly one in five residents having an income below poverty levels in 2021. It is a coastal city near the border with Canada.
33. North Charleston, South Carolina
Poverty Rate: 19.9%
Located in South Carolina’s Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, North Charleston is the poorest city in the state among cities that were considered in the survey. It had a poverty rate of 19.9% in 2021.
32. Flagstaff, Arizona
Poverty Rate: 20.5%
Flagstaff’s poverty rate was 20.5% in 2021, well above the state poverty rate of 12.8%. It is the poorest city in Arizona as per the American Community Survey 2021.
31. Lawrence, Kansas
Poverty Rate: 20.7%
Out of the seven cities in Kansas where poverty was determined under the survey, the city of Lawrence had the highest poverty rate of 20.7% in 2021.
30. Richmond, Virginia
Poverty Rate: 21.1%
Richmond is Virginia’s poorest city and is also its most dangerous. High poverty rate over the years has led to increased incidents of violent crimes.
29. Wilmington, Delaware
Poverty Rate: 21.7%
Delaware’s poorest city is Wilmington. In 2021, an estimated 21.7% of the residents were living with incomes below the poverty level. According to 24/7 Wall St., Wilmington was also the state’s poorest city in terms of household income - $45,139.
28. Bowling Green, Kentucky
Poverty Rate: 21.9%
Bowling Green’s poverty rate in 2021 was nearly 25% higher than Kentucky’s state average of 16.5%, which made it the poorest city in Kentucky.
27. Providence, Rhode Island
Poverty Rate: 22.1%
Providence is the poorest city in Rhode Island. In 2021, over 22% of the population lived below the poverty line. It also ranks among the U.S. cities with the highest concentration of poverty nationwide.
26. St. Joseph, Missouri
Poverty Rate: 22.1%
Of the nine Missouri cities surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau, St. Joseph had the highest level of poverty in 2021. It is the eighth largest city in the state, and the third largest in Northwest Missouri.
25. Jonesboro, Arkansas
Poverty Rate: 22.6%
Jonesboro had the highest poverty rate among Arkansas cities surveyed. It also one of the poorest cities in the United States. It ranks the 20th lowest among 384 U.S. metropolitans analyzed by 24/7 Wall St. having a median income of $47,935, which is $21,780 less than the national average.
24. Memphis, Tennessee
Poverty Rate: 22.6%
Memphis is the poorest city in Tennessee. The city has the second highest poverty rate in the United States among cities having a population of 500,000 or above.
23. Sunrise Manor, Nevada
Poverty Rate: 22.7%
Sunrise Manor is a census-designated place on the outskirts of Las Vegas. It is the poorest city in Nevada with 22.7% of the population living below poverty levels. Sunrise Manor’s median household income is $47,665 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
22. Barre, Vermont
Poverty Rate: 22.7%
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Barre’s poverty rate in 2021 was recorded at 22.7%. This is 85% higher than the national average. It is the poorest city in the state of Vermont with a median household income of $44,298.
21. Baltimore, Maryland
Poverty Rate: 23%
Baltimore had the highest poverty rate in Maryland – recorded at 23% in 2021 by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
20. Lawton, Oklahoma
Poverty Rate: 23.7%
Lawton in Oklahoma is well known for the Fort Sill Army Base. However, it is also the poorest city in the state. In 2021, an estimated 23.7% of the residents earned incomes well below the poverty level.
19. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Poverty Rate: 23.8%
Milwaukee is not just Wisconsin’s poorest city, but also has one of the highest poverty rates among the top 50 most populated cities in the United States. Its household median income in 2021 was $45,318.
18. Decatur, Illinois
Poverty Rate: 23.8%
Decatur has the highest concentrated poverty in Illinois. Out of the cities that were surveyed for poverty in the state, Decatur ranked at the top with a poverty rate of 23.8% and median household income of $45,111 in 2021.
17. Hartford, Connecticut
Poverty Rate: 24.1%
Following the American Civil War, Hartford was one of the richest cities in the United States. Now it is among the poorest. It has the highest poverty rate in Connecticut – 24.1% in 2021.
16. Gainesville, Florida
Poverty Rate: 26.9%
Gainesville is the most affected city in Florida by poverty. In 2021, 26.9% of the population lived below the poverty line. Gainesville's median household income is $40,937.
15. Albany, Georgia
Poverty Rate: 26.9%
Albany is Georgia’s poorest city and is also among the poorest in the United States with more than a quarter of its population living below the poverty line. The city's median household income was estimated to be $40,036 in 2021.
14. Springfield, Massachusetts
Poverty Rate: 27.9%
Poverty in Springfield is more than twice the national average of the United States. It is the poorest city in Massachusetts. In 2021, 27.9% of the population had an income below the poverty level.
13. Lake Charles, Louisiana
Poverty Rate: 28.1%
Seven Louisiana cities were part of the American Community Survey 2021 conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Lake Charles had the highest poverty rate among them – 28.1%.
12. Birmingham, Alabama
Poverty Rate: 28.3%
Birmingham in the northcentral region of Alabama is the poorest city in the state. It is also among the poorest cities in the United States having a poverty of 28.3% - which is almost double than that of the country's average.
11. Syracuse, New York
Poverty Rate: 28.7%
While New York is among the richest states it in the United States, it is also home to some of the cities worst impacted by poverty. Syracuse is the poorest city in New York, having a poverty rate of 28.7% in 2021.
