25 US Cities With The Highest Population Of Economically Disadvantaged People
Hunger, poverty and homelessness can be found in every country. In fact, even the richest and most developed countries such as Germany, Unit...
Hunger, poverty and homelessness can be found in every country. In fact, even the richest and most developed countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, Japan and the United States are homes to millions of people who live below the poverty line. In the case of the United States however, is particularly surprising given that it is the richest country in the world and yet possess some of the most alarming statistics when it comes to economically disadvantaged people. Recent studies have found that most Americans will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75. As for homelessness statistics, the numbers are just as sad. It is estimated that up to 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness for at least a few nights during the course of a year. What makes this figure even more heartbreaking is the fact that according to Amnesty International, vacant houses actually outnumber homeless people five to one. In other words, there are five empty houses per one homeless person. In the US, however, the populations in need vary greatly with individual states, regions and cities. WalletHub, a personal finance website based in Washington D.C., carried out an extensive research to find out where the highest concentrations of economically disadvantaged people are found. The analysts based the research on 16 key metrics such as the percentage of households receiving public assistance, food-insecurity rate and percentage of maltreated people. Get your tissue box ready because these are 25 US Cities With The Highest Population Of Economically Disadvantaged People.
San Bernardino, California (score: 54.21)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The county seat of San Bernardino County and home to about 210,000 people, San Bernardino is the 17th-largest city in California. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a median household income of just $39,097, with 30.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line, which makes San Bernardino the poorest city for its population in California.
Little Rock, Arkansas (score: 54.12)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
With a population of almost 200,000 Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of Arkansas. Infamous for a high poverty rate (14.3% of the population lives below the poverty line), the city also struggles with enormous child homelessness. In fact, Arkansas ranked third worst in the nation for child homelessness.
Mobile, Alabama (score: 53.89)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The county seat of Mobile County, Mobile is the third most populous city in Alabama. It is one of few large US cities with a majority of Afro-American residents (50.6%) many of whom are homeless and live below the poverty line. The median income for a household in the city was just $37,056 for 2006 to 2010.
Tallahassee, Florida (score: 53.70)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital of Florida, Tallahassee has a population of more than 375,000. The latest census estimated over 30% of the locals live below the poverty level. Food insecurity and homelessness are also issues in the city – as many as 800 people have no place to sleep in Tallahassee on any given day.
Buffalo, New York (score: 53.40)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The second most populous city in New York (after New York City), Buffalo suffers from pervasive poverty. The loss of traditional jobs in manufacturing, rapid suburbanization and high labor costs have led to economic decline and made Buffalo one of the poorest U.S. cities with populations of more than 250,000 people.
Toledo, Ohio (score: 53.38)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Home to almost 290,000 people, Toledo is the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio. About 18% of the residents live below the poverty line and homelessness is a major problem in the city. Out of 1,100 homeless living in the county, one hundred are veterans and nearly 150 are victims of domestic violence.
Providence, Rhode Island (score: 52.79)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital and most populous city in Rhode Island, Providence is one of the oldest cities in the United States (it was founded in 1636). Despite new investments, poverty remains an entrenched problem as it does in most post-industrial New England cities. Approximately 28% of the city population is living below the poverty line.
Baltimore, Maryland (score: 52.74)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The largest city of Maryland, Baltimore has a population of more than 620,000 out of which over 4,000 are homeless. The homeless population in Baltimore has been steadily increasing. The increase in the number of young homeless people was particularly severe. The city also struggles with high rate of poverty and unemployment.
Columbus, Georgia (score: 52.58)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Located 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Atlanta, Columbus is the county seat of Muscogee County. About 12.8% of families and 15.7% of the overall population are below the poverty line, including 22% of those under age 18 and 12% of those aged 65 or over. Consequently, food insecurity is a major problem for many residents of the city.
Chattanooga, Tennessee (score: 51.64)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
With a population of almost 170,000 Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee. The city has one of the highest homelessness rates in the country with an estimated 600-700 individuals sleeping outside or in shelters every night. Over the last several years, the number of homeless families has increased by nearly 300% in Chattanooga.
Indianapolis, Indiana (score: 51.49)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Home to approximately 850,000 people, Indianapolis is the largest and capital city of Indiana. Indianapolis has regularly ranked among major US cities with the highest homeless population. In 2013, the city’s homeless population was estimated to be anywhere from 4,800 to 8,000 people. Job loss, domestic violence and health problems were among the reasons for becoming homeless.
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (score: 51.23)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Once the country´s capital, Philadelphia is now home to over 1.5 million people, which makes it the fifth most populous US city. Unfortunately, Philadelphia has the highest rate of deep poverty (people with incomes below half of the poverty line) of any of the US major cities. Moreover, an estimated average of 650 people live on the streets.
St. Louis, Missouri (score: 50.73)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Inhabited by 320,000 people, St. Louis is a city and port in Missouri. Although St. Louis’ per-capita rates of online charitable donations and volunteerism are among the highest among major U.S. cities, poverty remains a big issue in the city. In 2013, as much as one third of the city´s population were living below the poverty line.
Newark, New Jersey (score: 50.66)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
One of the nation’s major air, shipping, and rail hubs, Newark is the largest city in New Jersey. Despite some new investments, persistent underemployment and poverty remains a big problem in Newark. As of 2010, roughly one-third of the city’s population was impoverished.
Cincinnati, Ohio (score: 50.42)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Home to some 300,000 people, Cincinnati has a massive problem with persistent poverty. According to U.S. Census data and the Ohio Development Agency’s Ohio Poverty Report in 2015, 31% of Cincinnatians (that is more than 86,000 individuals) live in poverty.
Richmond, Virginia (score: 49.59)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Virginia’s capital city continues to have the highest poverty rate in the state, with one in four residents living at or below the poverty line. Many Richmond residents also suffer from food insecurity and many families have to live in houses with incomplete plumbing.
Birmingham, Alabama (score: 49.08)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and the county seat of Jefferson County. One of the poorest cities in the state, Birmingham has always had a very high homeless population but the latest surveys suggest this might change soon as there has been a downward trend observed in the past years. Currently, approximately 2,929 people are estimated to be homeless in the Birmingham area.
Brownsville, Texas (score: 48.80)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Located in Cameron County in southern Texas, Brownsville has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, and is frequently cited as having the highest percentage of residents below the federal poverty level out of all US cities. Brownsville also has the second highest percentage of households with no health insurance.
Augusta, Georgia (score: 48.78)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Best known for hosting The Masters golf tournament each spring, Augusta, the third largest city Georgia, is also infamous for high poverty (17% of the population live below the poverty line) and homelessness rate. In 2013, Augusta’s homeless population numbered more than 800 adults.
Jackson, Mississippi (score: 48.22)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Jackson is the capital and largest city of Mississippi. Out of the city´s 173,000 resident, 80% are Afro-Americans and often suffer from unemployment and poverty. In fact, more than 42% of Jackson´s population lived below the poverty line in 2013, which was one of the highest rates in the country.
New Orleans, Louisiana (score: 47.88)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
In the case of New Orleans, the largest metropolitan area in Louisiana, there are several reasons for the massive poverty and homelessness including low levels of educational attainment, rising crime, and natural disasters. After Hurricane Katrina hit the city, 800,000 people were displaced and many other became homeless.
Memphis, Tennessee (score: 45.39)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
With a population of over 653,000 Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee. In 2010, the per capita income for the city was just $17,838 with 20.6% of the population living below the poverty line. In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked the Memphis area as the poorest large metro area in the country. Homelessness has also been an issue in Memphis but the rate has finally begun to decrease in the past years.
Cleveland, Ohio (score: 44.25)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Known as the Forrest City, Cleveland is the second largest city in Ohio after Columbus. Cleveland has always ranked among the poorest major US cities but there is one category in which the city does particularly bad – child poverty. In the WalletHub research, Cleveland had the highest rate of child poverty along with Detroit and Rochester.
Atlanta, Georgia (score: 44.24)
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital and the largest city of Georgia, Atlanta boasts a relatively low cost of living but the city still struggles with an alarming poverty rate, homelessness, and other issues such as high criminality. In 2011, Atlanta had approximately 4,400 people (1% of the population) who were homeless or in emergency shelters.
Detroit, Michigan (score: 36.94)
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Once a thriving rich city that was home to 1.8 million people, Detroit has become synonymous with urban poverty. Due to industrial restructuring and loss of jobs in the auto industry, Detroit lost considerable population from the late 20th century to present. Many of those who decided to stay in the city are now impoverished (one third of the population) and/or homeless (in 2015, there were almost 3,000 homeless people recorded in Detroit).
Source: TheList25