The Poorest Big City in Every State

Jami Farkas

23 June 2024 at 11:00 am·9-min read

Media outlets often publish articles about the richest cities in each state, showing off the location’s biggest tourist attractions, fanciest neighborhoods or most sparkling amenities, like community theaters, parks and schools.

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It isn’t as often that we hear about the regions in a state where residents struggle economically compared to a neighboring community or even live below the poverty level, but each state has at least one.

To determine the poorest big city in every state, GOBankingRates analyzed data about the median household income, the percentage of the population living below the poverty level and the per capita income, as sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Read through to see what qualifies as the poorest city in your state and the rest of the United States.

Birmingham, Alabama

Population: 200,431
Median Household Income: $42,464
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 26.09%
Per Capita Income: $29,289

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Jacob Boomsma / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Fairbanks, Alaska

Population: 32,496
Median Household Income: $69,914
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 9.67%
Per Capita Income: $34,820

Surprise, Arizona

Population: 145,591
Median Household Income: $87,756
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 6.79%
Per Capita Income: $37,518

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Population: 41,172
Median Household Income: $39,411
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 24.88%
Per Capita Income: $21,170

Anaheim, California

Population: 347,111
Median Household Income: $88,538
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.62%
Per Capita Income: $35,331

Pueblo, Colorado

Population: 111,430
Median Household Income: $52,794
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 20.60%
Per Capita Income: $28,968

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New Britain, Connecticut

Population: 74,212
Median Household Income: $53,766
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 19.70%
Per Capita Income: $28,796

Smyrna, Delaware

Population: 12,870
Median Household Income: $68,260
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 9.99%
Per Capita Income: $31,340

Hialeah, Florida

Population: 222,996
Median Household Income: $49,531
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 17.81%
Per Capita Income: $24,295

South Fulton, Georgia

Population: 107,865
Median Household Income: $77,488
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 9.37%
Per Capita Income: $36,153

Kahului, Hawaii

Population: 27,233
Median Household Income: $94,712
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 8.72%
Per Capita Income: $34,885

Caldwell, Idaho

Population: 61,212
Median Household Income: $65,259
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.63%
Per Capita Income: $24,112

Waukegan, Illinois

Population: 89,435
Median Household Income: $66,077
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 15.00%
Per Capita Income: $30,089

Lafayette, Indiana

Population: 70,828
Median Household Income: $50,674
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 16.47%
Per Capita Income: $29,523

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Council Bluffs, Iowa

Population: 62,670
Median Household Income: $61,181
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 13.59%
Per Capita Income: $31,946

Salina, Kansas

Population: 46,734
Median Household Income: $56,945
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.67%
Per Capita Income: $31,477

Richmond, Kentucky

Population: 34,883
Median Household Income: $45,457
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 22.23%
Per Capita Income: $26,787

Bossier City, Louisiana

Population: 62,971
Median Household Income: $54,100
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 20.36%
Per Capita Income: $30,737

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DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Lewiston, Maine

Population: 37,577
Median Household Income: $54,317
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 17.83%
Per Capita Income: $29,223

Glen Burnie, Maryland

Population: 71,427
Median Household Income: $86,283
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 8.16%
Per Capita Income: $41,570

Lynn, Massachusetts

Population: 100,653
Median Household Income: $70,046
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 14.08%
Per Capita Income: $31,816

Warren, Michigan

Population: 138,588
Median Household Income: $61,633
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 13.52%
Per Capita Income: $31,080

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Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Population: 84,951
Median Household Income: $82,271
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 8.88%
Per Capita Income: $36,531

Greenville, Mississippi

Population: 29,495
Median Household Income: $35,148
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 32.20%
Per Capita Income: $22,111

Springfield, Missouri

Population: 168,873
Median Household Income: $43,450
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 20.32%
Per Capita Income: $28,806

Kalispell, Montana

Population: 25,473
Median Household Income: $57,123
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 10.37%
Per Capita Income: $32,570

Fremont, Nebraska

Population: 27,230
Median Household Income: $62,226
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 9.52%
Per Capita Income: $31,944

Sunrise Manor, Nevada

Population: 198,325
Median Household Income: $52,476
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 21.82%
Per Capita Income: $22,600

Laconia, New Hampshire

Population: 16,898
Median Household Income: $67,856
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 10.20%
Per Capita Income: $39,171

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Population: 135,665
Median Household Income: $59,939
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 15.35%
Per Capita Income: $26,633

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South Valley, New Mexico

Population: 37,601
Median Household Income: $44,670
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 21.01%
Per Capita Income: $24,047

Cheektowaga, New York

Population: 76,483
Median Household Income: $64,066
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 8.80%
Per Capita Income: $34,897

Concord, North Carolina

Population: 105,335
Median Household Income: $83,480
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 7.52%
Per Capita Income: $39,148

Jamestown, North Dakota

Population: 15,850
Median Household Income: $53,389
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 14.89%
Per Capita Income: $34,078

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Canton, Ohio

Population: 70,589
Median Household Income: $37,627
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 30.24%
Per Capita Income: $22,649

Lawton, Oklahoma

Population: 91,023
Median Household Income: $51,561
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 19.40%
Per Capita Income: $27,221

Springfield, Oregon

Population: 61,740
Median Household Income: $60,982
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 16.41%
Per Capita Income: $29,284

Reading, Pennsylvania

Population: 94,601
Median Household Income: $42,852
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 28.61%
Per Capita Income: $20,782

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Central Falls, Rhode Island

Population: 22,359
Median Household Income: $43,092
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 24.43%
Per Capita Income: $19,552

Sumter, South Carolina

Population: 43,046
Median Household Income: $48,900
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 17.50%
Per Capita Income: $27,742

Drew S. Palmquist / Wikimedia Commons Public Domain

Huron, South Dakota

Population: 14,179
Median Household Income: $57,702
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 11.08%
Per Capita Income: $29,576

Clarksville, Tennessee

Population: 167,882
Median Household Income: $62,688
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.88%
Per Capita Income: $29,481

El Paso, Texas

Population: 677,181
Median Household Income: $55,710
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 18.94%
Per Capita Income: $27,434

Ogden, Utah

Population: 86,754
Median Household Income: $66,226
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.12%
Per Capita Income: $31,437

Bennington, Vermont

Population: 8,753
Median Household Income: $51,221
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 14.96%
Per Capita Income: $33,141

WilliamSherman / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Roanoke, Virginia

Population: 99,213
Median Household Income: $51,523
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 19.11%
Per Capita Income: $33,206

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Vancouver, Washington

Population: 190,700
Median Household Income: $73,626
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 12.33%
Per Capita Income: $40,219

Wheeling, West Virginia

Population: 26,900
Median Household Income: $46,516
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 18.25%
Per Capita Income: $33,868

Janesville, Wisconsin

Population: 65,669
Median Household Income: $68,610
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 9.87%
Per Capita Income: $35,135

Riverton, Wyoming

Population: 10,733
Median Household Income: $50,861
Percentage of Population Below Poverty Level: 14.48%
Per Capita Income: $25,653

Methodology: To find the poorest big cities in every state, GOBankingRates analyzed the top 10 cities in each state by population, as sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. For each city, the median household income, the percentage of the population below the poverty level and the per capita income also were sourced from the American Community Survey. The median household income, per capita income and percentage of population below poverty level were all scored and summed to allow a comparison of each city within every state. The cities with higher scores represent poorer cities with lower median household incomes, higher poverty rates and lower per capita income. The highest-scoring city in each state was determined to be its poorest big city. All data was collected and is up to date as of June 4, 2024.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Poorest Big City in Every State

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