Globally, the World Bank predicts that the effects of the pandemic will have pushed somewhere between 88 million and 115 million people into extreme poverty some time this year. While a number of Americans could be among those falling into poverty, poverty rates in a number of U.S. cities are far below the average nationwide. Poverty rates in these cities may have also remained unaffected by the crisis. The U.S. poverty rate in 2019, the most recent year available through the census, is 13.4%, but in 50 American cities, the poverty rate is 3.5% or less.
To determine the cities with the lowest poverty rates in the nation, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year poverty rate estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. For reference, the U.S. Department of Health and Human services sets the official poverty threshold at an annual income of no more than approximately $26,000 for a family of four.
The 50 cities on this list can be found in 21 states, with the vast majority located in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the South. Maryland, which has a number of wealthy places within commuting distance of Washington, D.C., has the most with seven.
While poverty rates do not correspond perfectly with median incomes, states with higher poverty rates tend to have lower incomes. These states, of course, also tend to have higher shares of residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps.
Click here to see the cities where the fewest people live below the poverty line.
50. Ridgewood, New Jersey
> Poverty rate: 3.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 878 — 13th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.5% — 90th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $184,355 — 9th highest of 1,702 cities
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49. Granger, Indiana
> Poverty rate: 3.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,077 — 34th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.9% — 48th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $101,904 — 196th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: TrongNguyen / Getty Images
48. Pearland, Texas
> Poverty rate: 3.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 4,247 — 599th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.0% — 144th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $104,504 — 181st highest of 1,702 cities
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
47. Bethesda, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 3.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,160 — 193rd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.0% — 55th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $164,142 — 16th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Tomsmith585 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
46. Danville, California
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,528 — 91st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 0.9% — 8th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Median household income: $160,808 — 17th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: drnadig / E+ via Getty Images
45. Potomac, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,568 — 96th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.7% — 118th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $195,884 — 6th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Vince Migliore / Wikimedia Commons
44. El Dorado Hills, California
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,591 — 101st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.4% — 24th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $137,726 — 41st highest of 1,702 cities
Source: AppalachianViews / Getty Images
43. Eldersburg, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,031 — 23rd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.2% — 172nd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $120,688 — 79th highest of 1,702 cities
42. Buffalo Grove, Illinois
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,375 — 69th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.5% — 196th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $115,951 — 101st highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. / Wikimedia Commons
41. New City, New York
> Poverty rate: 3.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,171 — 47th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.1% — 156th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $138,638 — 38th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: JMKnewLife / Getty Images
40. East Honolulu, Hawaii
> Poverty rate: 3.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,583 — 98th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.9% — 48th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $133,165 — 48th highest of 1,702 cities
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39. Severna Park, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 3.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,249 — 54th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.1% — 62nd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $151,499 — 27th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: arinahabich / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
38. Parker, Colorado
> Poverty rate: 3.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,781 — 132nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.9% — 48th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $110,934 — 122nd highest of 1,702 cities
Source: marekuliasz / iStock via Getty Images
37. Windsor, Colorado
> Poverty rate: 3.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 876 — 11th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.0% — 144th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $99,732 — 218th highest of 1,702 cities
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36. Northbrook, Illinois
> Poverty rate: 3.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,072 — 33rd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.3% — 19th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $124,863 — 66th highest of 1,702 cities
35. Lexington, Massachusetts
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,071 — 32nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.1% — 156th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $186,201 — 8th highest of 1,702 cities
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34. Manhattan Beach, California
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,149 — 42nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 0.7% — 7th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Median household income: $153,023 — 26th highest of 1,702 cities
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33. Centennial, Colorado
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 3,493 — 458th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.7% — 40th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $109,324 — 138th highest of 1,702 cities
32. Plainview, New York
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 844 — 9th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.9% — 137th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $146,853 — 33rd highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Source: Andrew Bossi / Wikimedia Commons
31. Bowie, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,841 — 141st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 4.5% — 291st lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $113,338 — 109th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Jared Winkler / Wikimedia Commons
30. Andover, Minnesota
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,029 — 22nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.5% — 196th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $109,930 — 128th highest of 1,702 cities
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29. Woodbury, Minnesota
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,193 — 201st lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.6% — 35th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $108,539 — 145th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: City Of St. Peters City Hall / Wikimedia Commons
28. St. Peters, Missouri
> Poverty rate: 3.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,791 — 136th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.9% — 137th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $78,786 — 498th highest of 1,702 cities
27. Wilmette, Illinois
> Poverty rate: 3.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 834 — 8th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.4% — 81st lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $164,681 — 15th highest of 1,702 cities
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26. Maple Grove, Minnesota
> Poverty rate: 3.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,160 — 193rd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.9% — 48th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $109,557 — 132nd highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images
25. San Carlos, California
> Poverty rate: 3.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 907 — 15th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.4% — 24th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $182,083 — 10th highest of 1,702 cities
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24. Smithtown, New York
> Poverty rate: 3.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 770 — 2nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 5.7% — 431st lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $137,347 — 43rd highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Jeremy Janus / iStock via Getty Images
23. Dakota Ridge, Colorado
> Poverty rate: 3.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,043 — 27th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.1% — 62nd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $100,438 — 212th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/walterpro/
22. Keystone, Florida
> Poverty rate: 3.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 755 — 1st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.0% — 9th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $116,626 — 99th highest of 1,702 cities
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21. Wildwood, Missouri
> Poverty rate: 3.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,043 — 27th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.7% — 40th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $135,202 — 45th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Justin Davis / Getty Images
20. Fishers, Indiana
> Poverty rate: 2.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,655 — 295th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.3% — 19th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $109,454 — 135th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Runfellow / Wikimedia Commons
19. Flower Mound, Texas
> Poverty rate: 2.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,235 — 211th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.1% — 62nd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $137,285 — 44th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Kevin Ekmark / Flickr
18. Highlands Ranch, Colorado
> Poverty rate: 2.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 3,019 — 372nd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.2% — 16th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $125,454 — 64th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: NNehring / iStock via Getty Images
17. Los Altos, California
> Poverty rate: 2.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 856 — 10th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 0.6% — 3rd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $235,278 — 1st highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
16. Forest Hills, Michigan
> Poverty rate: 2.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 781 — 3rd lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 0.6% — 3rd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $119,404 — 83rd highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Sandra Lund / iStock via Getty Images
15. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
> Poverty rate: 2.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,033 — 24th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.7% — 118th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $82,396 — 428th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Jeremy Taylor / Wikimedia Commons
14. South Jordan, Utah
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,948 — 157th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.4% — 81st lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $104,597 — 180th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Magicpiano / Wikimedia Commons
13. Needham, Massachusetts
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 823 — 6th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.1% — 156th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $165,547 — 14th highest of 1,702 cities
12. McLean, Virginia
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,298 — 59th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.1% — 12th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $207,184 — 3rd highest of 1,702 cities
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11. Trumbull, Connecticut
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 969 — 19th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 4.0% — 240th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $122,451 — 76th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Matthew Van Dyke / iStock via Getty Images
10. Olney, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 938 — 17th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.3% — 180th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $143,396 — 35th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: AJW1188 / Wikimedia Commons
9. Commack, New York
> Poverty rate: 2.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 969 — 19th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.6% — 105th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $138,098 — 40th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
8. Bel Air North, Maryland
> Poverty rate: 2.6%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 819 — 5th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.7% — 40th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $107,689 — 155th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Concord715 / Wikimedia Commons
7. Brentwood, Tennessee
> Poverty rate: 2.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,059 — 31st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 0.1% — 1st lowest of 1,702 cities
> Median household income: $168,688 — 13th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Courtesy of Thomas R Machnitzki under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en) / Wikimedia Commons
6. Germantown, Tennessee
> Poverty rate: 2.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 964 — 18th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.4% — 24th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $118,163 — 91st highest of 1,702 cities
5. Plainfield, Illinois
> Poverty rate: 2.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,036 — 25th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.2% — 172nd lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $130,614 — 54th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: Johnmoffatt2000 / Wikimedia Commons
4. Sammamish, Washington
> Poverty rate: 2.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,549 — 94th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.7% — 40th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $174,003 — 11th highest of 1,702 cities
Source: Postdlf / Wikimedia Commons
3. Upper Arlington, Ohio
> Poverty rate: 2.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 811 — 4th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 1.3% — 19th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $123,548 — 71st highest of 1,702 cities
Source: dougtone / Flickr
2. Cottage Grove, Minnesota
> Poverty rate: 2.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 825 — 7th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 3.3% — 180th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $102,039 — 194th highest of 1,702 cities
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Source: ablokhin / iStock via Getty Images
1. Burke, Virginia
> Poverty rate: 2.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 931 — 16th lowest of 1,702 cities
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 2.6% — 105th lowest of 1,702 cities (tied)
> Median household income: $145,234 — 34th highest of 1,702 cities
Methodology:
To determine the cities with the lowest poverty rates in the nation, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year estimates of the percentage of people determined to be living below the poverty line from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
We used census “place” geographies — a category that includes 29,573 incorporated legal entities and Census-designated statistical entities. Of those, 29,320 had boundaries that fell within one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
We defined cities based on a population threshold — having more than 25,000 people — and 1,775 of the places fell within this threshold.
Cities were excluded if poverty rates were not available in the 2019 ACS, if the population for which the poverty status had been determined totaled less than 1,000, or if the sampling error associated with a city’s data was deemed too high.
The sampling error was defined as too high if the coefficient of variation — a statistical assessment of how reliable an estimate is — for a city’s poverty rate was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all cities’ poverty rates. We similarly excluded cities that had too high of a sampling error, using the same definition.
The remaining 1,702 places were ranked based on their poverty rates. Additional information on the number of people living below the poverty line, median household income, and the share of households receiving SNAP benefits are also five-year estimates from the 2019 ACS.
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