Tiffany Raiford
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Did you know that the United States is one of the richest countries in the world? It’s true – the US is home to approximately 25% of the world’s wealth, despite holding only about 4% of the world’s population. But for every rich area in a country, there are obviously going to be poorer ones, too. Read on to see which cities in each state has a higher poverty rate than others. The median income alone speaks volumes for a lot of the households mentioned.
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Chewelah, Washington
Chewelah, which is located about 45 miles northwest of Spokane, actually had a 19.1% increase in population between the 2000 census and the 2010 census. However, the average resident of Chewelah earns less than half of the state’s average, which is $66,174. Just 16.9% of residents have a bachelor’s degree.
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Camden, Tennessee
Camden is the only town in all of Tennessee that has a median household income of less than $30k. The average in the state, however, is over $48k. Not to mention, one in four residents lives at or below the poverty line. An interesting fact about Camden, Tennessee is that Native Americans were living in the area as early as the Archaic period in 8000-1000 BC. Thanks to a significant archaeological site, evidence was uncovered that showed semi-permanent habitation dating back 7000 years.
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Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is yet another town that wins the award for the only town in the entire state where the median household income is less than $25k, though they barely squeak by. The poverty rate of 39% is the highest in both the state and the country. The city was named in honor of the ancestral birthplace of King George III, Braunschweig, Germany. Brunswick was abandoned during the Civil War, when citizens were ordered to evacuate.
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East Cleveland, Ohio
With a poverty rate of over 40%, East Cleveland is absolutely the poorest city in the state. East Cleveland’s median household income is less than half the state’s average of $52,407 – and to put that in perspective, the state’s poverty rate is just 14.9%.
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North Adams, Massachusetts
Located between the border of New York and Vermont, North Adams is a small town with a relatively low median income — at least, compared to the state itself, which is higher than the national average at $74,167. When compared to others on our list, however, North Adams seems not so bad! North Adams is considered to be a good place to live considering most residents own their own homes and there is a distinct dense suburban feel.
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New Square, New York
Uhm, can we talk about the home value ($338k) versus the median household income ($23k)? What is that?! Not all of New York is glitz, glamour, and riches — and New Square, New York, proves that. The state has one of the worst income equalities in the entire US. Just 60 miles away from New Square is East Hills, where the typical household earns approximately $200k a year. This is one of those states that more than prove how income and cost of living can vary so much from town to town within a small distance from one another.
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South Tucson, Arizona
South Tucson isn’t just one of the poorest towns in the state, South Tucson is actually one of the poorest towns in all of America. The city is an enclave of the much larger city of Tuscon in Pima County, Arizona. Being able to afford a $77,700 house on a less than $21,160 annual income would be a difficult feat, so just imagine trying to afford buying your own home when you bring in less than $10,000 a year.
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Johnstown, Pennsylvania
That’s one of the lowest median home values we’re going to see! While the average household income is almost on par with the national average in PA, Johnstown is less than half of that. Located about 70 miles outside of Pittsburgh, nearly 40% live below the poverty line – the highest in the state, and triple the state’s average of 13.1%. Johnstown is known for a rather famous tragedy. In 1889, a dam burst resulting in the Johnstown Flood that created an unprecedented media frenzy.
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Holiday City-Berkeley, New Jersey
Did you know that New Jersey is the second-wealthiest state in the US, just behind Maryland? Not all parts are as well off, however – in Holiday City-Berkeley, nearly half of the population earns less than $35k. Still wealthy compared to many other states on our list, but a hard income nonetheless. Strangely, the poverty rate is less than the state’s average of 10.7%. Homes are detached in the Holiday City communities and built in a ranch-style on minimum 50′ x 100′ lots. They consist of five different communities.
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Belle Glade, Florida
Florida is home to some very rich areas… but it’s also home to some very poor cities, too. Belle Glade, just south of Lake Okeechobee, is the poorest town in Florida. Nearly 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, and approximately one in four households make less than $10k a year. This town is known for its sod farms and ornamental cane fields. Belle Glade still maintains its “small town” roots and represents many diverse ethnic backgrounds.
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Federal Heights, Colorado
Located just north of Denver, Federal Heights is a pretty small town with a crazy-low median home value. An interesting fact about the poorest town in this state is that just over 10% of adult residents have bachelor’s degrees or higher – for the entire state, that statistic is 39.4%. When we say just north of Denver, we mean a distance of just 8.43 miles. While the poverty rate in Federal Heights is 21.1%, the poverty rate in Denver is 15.1%.
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San Benito, Texas
This Texas town, which sits on the border of Mexico, is one of the larger towns we’re going to see on this list. With over 24k residents, more than one in three residents live at or below the poverty line – and San Benito is the only town in Texas that has a median household income of less than $30k. Texas is a state with huge income inequality. The wealthiest town in the state, University Park, has a median household income of $211,741 — over 87% of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to just 11.7% in San Benito.
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Cumberland, Maryland
Fact: Maryland is the wealthiest state in the country with a median household income of nearly $79,000. This northern town sits along the border of West Virginia, and nearly one in four residents lives below the poverty line. Most of the wealthier cities in Maryland are clustered around Washington, DC. At one time, Cumberland was considered to be the second-largest city in Maryland, since it was a key road, canal and railroad junction during the 19th century.
Wikipedia
Centreville, Illinois
Are you surprised to learn that the median household income of Illinois is about $3,500 more than the national average? We were, too – especially when you compare that to Centreville’s median income. That’s right, Centreville takes the cake for the poorest town in the US. Nearly half of the residents in Centreville lives below the poverty line. That’s almost fifty percent of the entire population! Could you imagine what that must be like?
Wikipedia
Clearlake, California
When you think of California, do you think of luxury homes of the rich and famous? It’s true that there are some parts of the state that are very rich, but not everywhere. Once again, it goes to show that even side by side towns can have an extreme difference in their cost of living. Clearlake’s poverty rate is over double the state’s average of 15.1%, and it is the only town in the entire state where the median home value is less than $100k.
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Hamtramck, Michigan
What a name for a town! Hamtramck, which is surrounded by the city of Detroit, isn’t just the poorest town in Michigan – it’s one of the poorest in the country. A staggering 45% of residents rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. Besides having such an odd name, Hamtramck is also known for being the most diverse city in the state of Michigan, which they’re rather proud of. Signs in the town read, “The World in Two Square Miles,” because of this fact.
Wikipedia
Forest City, North Carolina
Forest City, North Carolina, has the highest poverty rate and the highest SNAP benefit rate of the entire state. In fact, 37.7% of Forest City receive SNAP benefits. The poverty rate is also more than double the state’s average, which is 16.1%. Forest City was formerly known as “Burnt Chimney,” and is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Forest City was also selected as the location for a new data center for Facebook in 2010 that cost $450 million dollars.
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Knox, Indiana
This small Indiana town’s median household income is over $18k lower than the national average. Not to mention, the city’s median household income is also $75,000 less than the median household income of Indiana’s wealthiest town, Zionsville. Housing prices, however, are about in line with the income – something you don’t see in many of our states! In other words, people are still able to afford living costs despite having a lower median household income.
Wikipedia
Ketchikan, Alaska
It’s truly remarkable how Alaska stands out when you examine the median home values and median incomes in the state. The fact that Alaska boasts such a high median home value in comparison to its median income is indeed quite astonishing. Alaska is easily one of the wealthiest states in the country, so it’s no surprise they rank higher than most – after all, the national median income is only slightly higher at $57,652. All in all, Alaska doesn’t really seem to have a “poor” city like the rest of the country… just a slightly less well-off one.
Wikipedia
Claymont, Delaware
No one would ever accuse Delaware of being a large state, and the lack of financial diversity shows in its poorest city, Claymont, that earns $5,000 less than the national average. Claymont is located on the Delaware River, just outside of Wilmington. With a median household income of $52,277 and a poverty rate of 12.2%, it’s easy to see where the problem areas lie for Delaware. Especially when homes are valued at an average of $200,600.
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Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaii
Once again, Hawaii is considered to be one of the wealthiest states in the US, so it’s no surprise that even their poorest town’s median income is more than double the “poorest” in the country. Even though the median household income is high, more than one in every five residents live below the poverty line, which is double the state’s average of 10.3%. It goes to show that what is considered to be a paradise for many still isn’t a paradise for all.
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Devil’s Lake, North Dakota
Devils Lake, despite its seemingly decent median household income, faces some unique economic challenges when compared to many other areas within the state and the nation as a whole. While it may appear to be doing reasonably well in terms of median household income, it’s important to contextualize this figure within the broader economic landscape. The state of Devils Lake’s median household income, although it may appear satisfactory on the surface, actually falls short when compared to the state average, which stands at over $61,000.
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Wheatland, Wyoming
This small town in southeastern Wyoming is the only town in the entire state where residents earn less than $50k a year. However, the poverty rate is significantly less than the state’s average of 11.1%. While residents may not be bringing in much money, few seem to face serious, significant financial hardship. That might sound like good news in the grand scheme of things, but it still says a lot that even when a town has a poverty rate that is significantly less than the state average, the residents still have to work hard to make ends meet.
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Conrad, Montana
At first glance, it may seem surprising that Conrad is considered the poorest town when the median income is only approximately $8,000 per year below the state’s average. This seemingly modest income gap suggests that, in terms of annual earnings, there isn’t an enormous difference between the residents of Conrad and those in the rest of Montana. This observation challenges the common perception that poverty is solely defined by income and underscores the importance of considering other factors, such as the cost of living and access to resources, when assessing economic well-being.
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South Salt Lake, Utah
Located in the Salt Lake City metro area, South Salt Lake has the highest poverty rate by far – over double the state’s average of 11%. Residents of South Salt Lake make approximately $24k less a year than the state’s average, but only about $16k less than the national average. However, what really matters is the cost of living in a given state. What might seem like a lot in some states might not be all that much when compared to other states.
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Beckley, West Virginia
While there might be a stereotype about West Virginia, Beckley is the only town in the state where one in five residents live at or below the poverty line. West Virginia has one of the lowest median household incomes in the country. Beckley is also one of the smaller metros in the United States, located in southern West Virginia, about 200 miles west of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is comprised of Fayette and Raleigh counties.
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Sisseton, South Dakota
One in every five residents of Sisseton rely on SNAP benefits, significantly higher than the 10.6% that is the state’s average. 8.4% of households in Sisseton earn less than $10k a year. Sisseton is located within Roberts County, South Dakota, and has a population of a little more than 2,500. One of its main attractions is the Nicollet Tower, an 80-foot high observation tower where visitors can view three states (South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota), six counties, 11 communities, and the Continental Divide all at once.
Wikipedia
Bensley, Virginia
Bensley has nearly triple the poverty rate of Virginia, which comes in at just 11.2% – which is lower than the national average. Bensley is located in Chesterfield County, Virginia, which is a suburb of Richmond. Only a third of the residents in Bensley hold a high school diploma and only 8.3% hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Bensley is known as an old village with no active government, and the community is over 100 years old.
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Littleton, New Hampshire
New Hampshire ranks as one of the wealthiest states, with the average income being nearly $14k more than the country’s average. However, that doesn’t help Littleton, the poorest town in the state. Located along the Vermont border, this small town has nearly 20% of its residents living below the poverty line; that’s the highest in the state and over double the state’s average of just 8.1%. Littleton, New Hampshire, is famous for having the world’s longest candy counter, a working gristmill, a majestic post office, and a 100-year-old Opera house.
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Presque Isle, Maine
This small town in northeastern Maine holds the distinction of being the poorest town in the whole state – and the only one that has a median household income of less than $40k. 12% of the town earns less than $10k a year, which is nearly double the state average of 6.4%. This city got its name from the French presqu’île, which means “almost island.” It’s a geographical term that denotes a piece of land that is closer to being an island than most other peninsulas because it is joined to the mainland by an extremely narrow neck of land.
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St. Johnsbury, Vermont
While this small town in northern Vermont has the lowest median household income — $20,269, to be exact — in the state, the residents aren’t all that badly off. In fact, the poverty rate is just slightly higher than the national average of 14.6%. However, out of the total people living in poverty, 37.8% are under the age of 18. St. Johnsbury is considered to be historic and was known as one of the most prosperous towns in the Northeast back in the 1800s.
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Red Cloud, Nebraska
Wow, what a small town! This little Nebraska town has the lowest median household income in the state. In addition, less than 1% of residents have an income of over $200k a year. Red Cloud is also the only town in the entire state that has a median home value of less than $50k. Red Cloud got its name from a group of local businessmen in honor of the chief of the Oglala tribe of the Teton-Lakota Sioux.
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Brainerd, Minnesota
Located in central Minnesota, this is the only town in the entire state that has a median household income of less than $35k. You will notice, however, the poverty rate is not especially high compared to many other cities on this list. With the average being just 10.5% in the state, however, 16.4% is notable. Brainerd was founded on September 19, 1871, and named for the plat that was signed that day. It was incorporated as a city on November 19, 1881.
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Willimantic, CT
Connecticut is another one of those fairly wealthy states, and that is reflected in its poorest city, which really isn’t that bad compared to many (you’ll see)! The typical household in the state earns about $16k more than the national average. More than a third of households in Willimantic use the SNAP program to help afford groceries and daily expenses. It is known as the “Thread City” because the American Thread Company had a mill on the banks of the Willimantic River.
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Laughlin, Nevada
Think Nevada is all glitz, glam, and Vegas? Think again. Believe it or not, not only does Laughlin have the lowest median income in the state, it has the highest property tax – strange, right? About 16.8% of residents rely on SNAP benefits here. In other words, it’s no laughin’ matter. The town was named for Don Laughlin, who purchased the southern tip of Nevada in 1964, who operated the 101 Club in Las Vegas. He originally wanted to name the community Casino, or Riverside, but the post office decided to name it Laughlin instead.
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Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater’s poverty rate is far and away the highest in the state, with the average being 12.3% less than the national average. It’s believed that the low income is due to the number of college students – about 13,000 residents are enrolled at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. The most popular majors at the University of Whitewater include: Marketing and Related Support Services, Business, Education, Social Service Professions, Social Sciences, Journalism, Communication and Related Programs.
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Fort Scott, Kansas
Check out that affordable home value! While Fort Scott comes in as the poorest town in the state, the price of an average home is less than half of the state’s average, which is just over $139k. The poverty rate in Fort Scott also isn’t that much higher than the state’s average of 12.8%. The town was established in 1842 as part of a group of frontier forts. These forts were charged with keeping the peach between white settlers and Native Americans.
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Coquille, Oregon
The typical household in Oregon earns almost exactly the national median average, so why is Coquille so far away from that number? Well, one reason is that only 12.1% of adults have a bachelor’s degree when compared to the state average of 32.3%. Ironically, Coquille is considered to be a very small and beautiful town that is known for having everything so close by since it is so small. However, “everything” doesn’t necessarily mean stores or things to do, since residents tend to travel to the nearby city of Coos Bay for those essentials.
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Onawa, Iowa
This charming little town in Iowa is the only town in the state where the poverty rate is below 25%. That means that more than 1 in 4 people in Onawa live below the national poverty line. Nearly 25% of the residents use SNAP benefits to afford groceries. Onawa is considered to be a progressive rural community that is nestled between the Missouri River and the beautiful Loess Hills along the I-29 corridor.
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Bonners Ferry, Idaho
This teeny town in Idaho with just over 2,500 residents is mostly home to forestry and lumber production, so it’s no surprise that the median income is so low. It’s interesting to note the poverty rate of Bonners Ferry is just slightly higher than the state average of 14.5%. Although this town is small, it is famous for the Bonners Ferry Lumber Company, which grew to be one of the world’s largest lumber mills.
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Central Falls, Rhode Island
Central Falls, a city nestled in the heart of Rhode Island, bears the unfortunate distinction of being the most impoverished municipality in the state. Its economic struggles cast a shadow that extends far beyond its small 1.3 square mile footprint, painting a stark portrait of disparity and hardship. The poverty rate in Central Falls stands as a grim testament to the challenges faced by its residents. It is a staggering more than double the rate found in any other town across Rhode Island.
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Glasgow, Kentucky
Kentucky comes in as one of the poorest states in the country — the state itself has a median household income of about $10k below the national average, so they already started off rough. An approximate 18.3% of Kentucky residents live below the poverty line, higher than the national average of 14.6%. Glasgow is well known for its annual Scottish Highland Games, and Barren County (where Glasgow is located) was named the number one rural place to live by The Progressive Farmer magazine in 2007.
Wikipedia
Vicksburg, Mississippi
The average Mississippi household earns less than $10k of the national average, so it’s no surprise that Vicksburg is so far down on our list. One in three residents lives below the poverty line, which is higher than the state’s average of 21.5% – and that’s still high compared to the national average of 14.6%. Vicksburg is located in western Mississippi and is known as the site of a key Civil War battle, the Siege of Vicksburg.
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Central, South Carolina
Home to Southern Wesleyan University and approximately 1,500 students, these residents make the income look like less than it would be if they were not included. Just 5.7% of residents use SNAP benefits, compared to the 14% of residents in all of South Carolina who use them. Central, South Carolina is also about eight miles away from Clemson, the home of Clemson University. Clemson University is a highly recognized engineering school that has an average freshman retention rate rate of 93%, which is an indicator of student satisfaction.
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Wewoka, Oklahoma
One in three residents of Wewoka rely on SNAP benefits to put groceries on the table, and nearly half live at or below the poverty line. Wewoka is one of two cities in the state with a median home value of less than $50k. Wewoka takes its name from a Creek Village in Alabama whose meaning is “roaring water.” In 1899, the Union Pacific Railroad Company established a station there and in 1923, the Greater Seminole Oil Field was discovered nearby.
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Deming, New Mexico
Financial hardship is nothing new to Deming, New Mexico – approximately 20% of the population lives on less than $10k a year, which is shocking, especially when you consider that only about 6.7% of households nationwide earn so little. More than 1 in 3 residents in Deming live under the poverty line. Deming is considered to be a starting point for self-guided tours of southern New Mexico. This includes the Florida Mountains and Rockhound State Park.
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Fredericktown, Missouri
This tiny town in eastern Missouri is the poorest town in the state, earning less than half of the state’s median household income of $51,542. This is another situation where education plays a factor — just 16.7% of adults in Fredericktown have a bachelor’s degree or higher. At one point in time, the Old Lead Belt mines that are located immediately east of Fredericktown were one of the largest sources of lead in the United States.
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Selma, Alabama
Selma holds the distinction of being the only town in all of Alabama where over half of the entire population has a household income of less than $25k. To put that in perspective, the second-poorest city (Jackson) has a median household income of just over $30k. Selma is famous for the Selma March, which was a march led by Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, from March 21-25, in 1965.
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Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
As one of the poorest states in the country, it’s no surprise that the median income of this Arkansas town is low. Over 50% of households bring in less than $22k a year, which is staggering when you think about it. The poverty rate in Helena-West Helena is more than double the state’s average, which is already at a very high 18.1%. Helena-West Helena is located about seven and a half miles below the mouth of the St. Francis River and is located along the Mississippi River.
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Bastrop, Louisiana
Bastrop comes in as one of the poorest towns in the US. With a population of just over 10k, their poverty rate is more than double the state’s average and nearly triple the national average. In fact, about 29.6% of families and 35.3% of the population were below the poverty line. Ironically, Bastrop is considered to be the largest city and the parish seat of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. A parish is a small administrative district that typically has its own church and a pastor or priest.
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