This statistic shows the percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the top 25 most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018. In 2018, total 33.4 percent of all residents in Detroit, Michigan lived below the poverty level.
Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018
Percentage of poor people
Detroit city, Michigan
33.4%
Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania
24.5%
Houston city, Texas
20.4%
El Paso city, Texas
20.1%
San Antonio city, Texas
20%
Columbus city, Ohio
19.9%
Boston city, Massachusetts
18.2%
Dallas city, Texas
18%
Chicago city, Illinois
17.4%
New York city, New York
17.3%
Los Angeles city, California
16.5%
Indianapolis city (balance), Indiana
16.5%
Washington city, District of Columbia
16.2%
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee
The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a given country. In practice, like the definition of poverty, the official or common understanding of the poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries.
Population data for U.S. cities can be found here.
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Statistics on "Poverty and Income in the United States"
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US Census Bureau. (September 26, 2019). Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/205637/percentage-of-poor-people-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. "Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018." Chart. September 26, 2019. Statista. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/205637/percentage-of-poor-people-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. (2019). Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 21, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/205637/percentage-of-poor-people-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau. "Percentage of People Who Live below The Poverty Level in The Most Populated Cities in The U.S. in 2018." Statista, Statista Inc., 26 Sep 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/205637/percentage-of-poor-people-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/
US Census Bureau, Percentage of people who live below the poverty level in the most populated cities in the U.S. in 2018 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/205637/percentage-of-poor-people-in-the-top-20-most-populated-cities-in-the-us/ (last visited January 21, 2020)
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