The World Bank predicts that the effects of the pandemic will have pushed somewhere between 88 million and 115 million people worldwide into extreme poverty some time this year. A number of Americans could certainly be among those falling into poverty. Even before the spread of COVID-19, parts of the country already struggled much more with poverty than the nation overall.
The U.S. poverty rate, which was 12.3% in 2019, has likely increased as a result of the pandemic. And in historically impoverished metropolitan areas that were reportedly affected disproportionately by the virus, the poverty rate could increase even more.
To determine the metro with the highest poverty rate in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed one-year estimates of the percentage of people who live below the poverty line in each metropolitan area from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. It should be noted that a number of states only have one metropolitan area, so that metro ranks as the poorest by default only.
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.
Poverty can be found all across the country. Still, in some states, even the poorest metro area has a lower poverty rate than the U.S. as a whole. In Nebraska, for example, the poorest metropolitan area — Lincoln — has a poverty rate of 10.6%, compared to the national poverty rate of 12.3%. Generally speaking, the metro areas on this list with lower poverty rates are in states with relatively low poverty as well. Nebraska is one of 11 states with a poverty rate under 10%.
Click here to see the metro with the highest poverty rate in every state.
Click here to see our methodology.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Alabama: Gadsden
> Poverty rate: 19.7% (Alabama: 15.5%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 19,815 (Alabama: 739,108)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 15.0% (Alabama: 13.0%)
> Median household income: $41,447 (Alabama: $51,734)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Chilkoot / Getty Images
Alaska: Anchorage*
> Poverty rate: 10.0% (Alaska: 10.1%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 38,789 (Alaska: 71,938)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.3% (Alaska: 10.3%)
> Median household income: $80,676 (Alaska: $75,463)
*Because Anchorage is the only eligible metro in Alaska, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
24/7 Wall St.
Source: ianmcdonnell / Getty Images
Arizona: Yuma
> Poverty rate: 21.4% (Arizona: 13.5%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 44,400 (Arizona: 958,442)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 18.4% (Arizona: 9.4%)
> Median household income: $46,419 (Arizona: $62,055)
Source: Paul Sableman (Flickr user: pasa47) / Wikimedia Commons
Arkansas: Pine Bluff
> Poverty rate: 23.6% (Arkansas: 16.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 18,358 (Arkansas: 474,739)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 14.7% (Arkansas: 11.0%)
> Median household income: $41,541 (Arkansas: $48,952)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: peeterv / Getty Images
California: El Centro
> Poverty rate: 25.1% (California: 11.8%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 42,687 (California: 4,552,837)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 19.4% (California: 8.4%)
> Median household income: $48,472 (California: $80,440)
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
Colorado: Pueblo
> Poverty rate: 17.9% (Colorado: 9.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 29,592 (Colorado: 526,979)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 18.3% (Colorado: 6.9%)
> Median household income: $51,276 (Colorado: $77,127)
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
Connecticut: New Haven-Milford
> Poverty rate: 12.2% (Connecticut: 10.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 100,626 (Connecticut: 347,149)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 13.8% (Connecticut: 11.1%)
> Median household income: $69,751 (Connecticut: $78,833)
Source: aimintang / Getty Images
Delaware: Dover*
> Poverty rate: 13.0% (Delaware: 11.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 22,573 (Delaware: 106,383)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 14.0% (Delaware: 10.1%)
> Median household income: $58,001 (Delaware: $70,176)
*Because Dover is the only eligible metro in Delaware, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
Florida: Tallahassee
> Poverty rate: 20.5% (Florida: 12.7%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 74,754 (Florida: 2,664,772)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 13.9% (Florida: 11.8%)
> Median household income: $52,729 (Florida: $59,227)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: sshepard / Getty Images
Georgia: Albany
> Poverty rate: 22.6% (Georgia: 13.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 32,024 (Georgia: 1,373,909)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 21.2% (Georgia: 11.2%)
> Median household income: $40,625 (Georgia: $61,980)
Source: 7Michael / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Hawaii: Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina
> Poverty rate: 11.9% (Hawaii: 9.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 19,716 (Hawaii: 128,722)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 7.7% (Hawaii: 10.4%)
> Median household income: $80,754 (Hawaii: $83,102)
[in-text-ad]
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
Idaho: Pocatello
> Poverty rate: 12.9% (Idaho: 11.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 11,870 (Idaho: 195,984)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.4% (Idaho: 8.3%)
> Median household income: $51,612 (Idaho: $60,999)
Source: eyfoto / iStock via Getty Images
Illinois: Champaign-Urbana
> Poverty rate: 20.0% (Illinois: 11.5%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 42,042 (Illinois: 1,420,542)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 10.7% (Illinois: 11.8%)
> Median household income: $53,081 (Illinois: $69,187)
Source: lydiabilby / Getty Images
Indiana: Muncie
> Poverty rate: 22.8% (Indiana: 11.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 24,266 (Indiana: 775,823)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 13.3% (Indiana: 8.5%)
> Median household income: $45,065 (Indiana: $57,603)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: harmantasdc / Getty Images
Iowa: Iowa City
> Poverty rate: 16.2% (Iowa: 11.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 26,873 (Iowa: 341,613)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 5.9% (Iowa: 9.5%)
> Median household income: $63,761 (Iowa: $61,691)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Kansas: Manhattan
> Poverty rate: 18.6% (Kansas: 11.4%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 21,990 (Kansas: 323,189)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 7.7% (Kansas: 7.0%)
> Median household income: $59,010 (Kansas: $62,087)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Jacqueline Nix / Getty Images
Kentucky: Bowling Green
> Poverty rate: 16.5% (Kentucky: 16.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 27,857 (Kentucky: 703,627)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.2% (Kentucky: 11.9%)
> Median household income: $51,198 (Kentucky: $52,295)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: wellesenterprises / Getty Images
Louisiana: Monroe
> Poverty rate: 26.0% (Louisiana: 19.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 49,828 (Louisiana: 857,894)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 20.9% (Louisiana: 14.4%)
> Median household income: $40,136 (Louisiana: $51,073)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Maine: Bangor
> Poverty rate: 12.1% (Maine: 10.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 17,591 (Maine: 141,803)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 15.0% (Maine: 12.3%)
> Median household income: $50,449 (Maine: $58,924)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leecannon/
Maryland: Cumberland
> Poverty rate: 13.9% (Maryland: 9.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 12,173 (Maryland: 532,241)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 21.8% (Maryland: 9.8%)
> Median household income: $49,729 (Maryland: $86,738)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Massachusetts: Springfield
> Poverty rate: 12.6% (Massachusetts: 9.4%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 83,122 (Massachusetts: 625,763)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 17.6% (Massachusetts: 11.2%)
> Median household income: $62,346 (Massachusetts: $85,843)
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Michigan: Saginaw
> Poverty rate: 19.0% (Michigan: 13.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 34,997 (Michigan: 1,269,062)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 19.7% (Michigan: 11.7%)
> Median household income: $48,303 (Michigan: $59,584)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
Minnesota: Mankato
> Poverty rate: 16.1% (Minnesota: 9.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 15,377 (Minnesota: 494,683)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 8.0% (Minnesota: 7.4%)
> Median household income: $63,126 (Minnesota: $74,593)
Source: Woodlot / Wikimedia Commons
Mississippi: Hattiesburg
> Poverty rate: 22.5% (Mississippi: 19.6%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 36,946 (Mississippi: 564,192)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 12.3% (Mississippi: 13.5%)
> Median household income: $48,359 (Mississippi: $45,792)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Ashley Kluver / Getty Images
Missouri: Columbia
> Poverty rate: 18.3% (Missouri: 12.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 36,049 (Missouri: 770,175)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.7% (Missouri: 10.2%)
> Median household income: $57,359 (Missouri: $57,409)
Source: leezsnow / Getty Images
Montana: Great Falls
> Poverty rate: 15.4% (Montana: 12.6%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 12,153 (Montana: 131,882)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 12.4% (Montana: 8.7%)
> Median household income: $51,227 (Montana: $57,153)
[in-text-ad]
Source: traveler1116 / Getty Images
Nebraska: Lincoln
> Poverty rate: 10.6% (Nebraska: 9.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 34,144 (Nebraska: 185,761)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 7.1% (Nebraska: 7.6%)
> Median household income: $61,539 (Nebraska: $63,229)
24/7 Wall St.
Source: f11photo / Getty Images
Nevada: Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise
> Poverty rate: 12.8% (Nevada: 12.5%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 287,386 (Nevada: 379,564)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 11.0% (Nevada: 10.5%)
> Median household income: $62,107 (Nevada: $63,276)
Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
New Hampshire: Manchester-Nashua*
> Poverty rate: 7.3% (New Hampshire: 7.3%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 29,991 (New Hampshire: 95,711)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 6.2% (New Hampshire: 6.0%)
> Median household income: $83,626 (New Hampshire: $77,933)
*Because Manchester-Nashua is the only eligible metro in New Hampshire, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Smallbones / Wikimedia Commons
New Jersey: Vineland-Bridgeton
> Poverty rate: 13.2% (New Jersey: 9.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 18,305 (New Jersey: 798,262)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 13.3% (New Jersey: 7.4%)
> Median household income: $54,587 (New Jersey: $85,751)
Source: renal / Getty Images
New Mexico: Las Cruces
> Poverty rate: 25.9% (New Mexico: 18.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 55,037 (New Mexico: 373,230)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 22.9% (New Mexico: 16.4%)
> Median household income: $43,038 (New Mexico: $51,945)
[in-text-ad]
Source: traveler1116 / Getty Images
New York: Binghamton
> Poverty rate: 16.6% (New York: 13.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 38,063 (New York: 2,467,006)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 15.6% (New York: 14.1%)
> Median household income: $53,768 (New York: $72,108)
Source: Cypress Landing / Wikimedia Commons
North Carolina: Greenville
> Poverty rate: 19.6% (North Carolina: 13.6%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 33,998 (North Carolina: 1,386,122)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 13.6% (North Carolina: 11.6%)
> Median household income: $53,401 (North Carolina: $57,341)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
North Dakota: Grand Forks
> Poverty rate: 13.9% (North Dakota: 10.6%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 13,253 (North Dakota: 78,112)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 8.8% (North Dakota: 6.9%)
> Median household income: $57,301 (North Dakota: $64,577)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
Ohio: Youngstown-Warren-Boardman
> Poverty rate: 16.2% (Ohio: 13.1%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 84,239 (Ohio: 1,484,862)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 15.4% (Ohio: 12.0%)
> Median household income: $48,558 (Ohio: $58,642)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Oklahoma: Lawton
> Poverty rate: 17.8% (Oklahoma: 15.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 20,770 (Oklahoma: 583,029)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 15.1% (Oklahoma: 12.0%)
> Median household income: $51,332 (Oklahoma: $54,449)
[in-text-ad]
Source: rssfhs / Getty Images
Oregon: Corvallis
> Poverty rate: 17.9% (Oregon: 11.4%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 15,662 (Oregon: 470,643)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.7% (Oregon: 13.4%)
> Median household income: $70,835 (Oregon: $67,058)
Source: zrfphoto / Getty Images
Pennsylvania: Erie
> Poverty rate: 17.4% (Pennsylvania: 12.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 44,656 (Pennsylvania: 1,489,333)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 18.7% (Pennsylvania: 13.5%)
> Median household income: $51,818 (Pennsylvania: $63,463)
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
Rhode Island: Providence-Warwick*
> Poverty rate: 11.0% (Rhode Island: 10.8%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 173,218 (Rhode Island: 110,244)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 14.7% (Rhode Island: 14.5%)
> Median household income: $70,967 (Rhode Island: $71,169)
*Because Providence-Warwick is the only eligible metro in Rhode Island, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: makasana / Getty Images
South Carolina: Sumter
> Poverty rate: 19.4% (South Carolina: 13.8%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 26,650 (South Carolina: 692,744)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 16.5% (South Carolina: 9.9%)
> Median household income: $49,263 (South Carolina: $56,227)
Source: peeterv / Getty Images
South Dakota: Rapid City
> Poverty rate: 11.0% (South Dakota: 11.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 15,154 (South Dakota: 101,946)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 9.1% (South Dakota: 8.7%)
> Median household income: $58,361 (South Dakota: $59,533)
[in-text-ad]
Source: Joel Carillet / Getty Images
Tennessee: Johnson City
> Poverty rate: 17.9% (Tennessee: 13.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 35,126 (Tennessee: 922,176)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 11.0% (Tennessee: 11.4%)
> Median household income: $45,917 (Tennessee: $56,071)
Source: Ken / Flickr
Texas: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
> Poverty rate: 27.3% (Texas: 13.6%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 234,015 (Texas: 3,865,010)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 27.1% (Texas: 10.8%)
> Median household income: $41,800 (Texas: $64,034)
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
Utah: Logan
> Poverty rate: 14.7% (Utah: 8.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 20,441 (Utah: 281,279)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 5.6% (Utah: 5.5%)
> Median household income: $61,467 (Utah: $75,780)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: redjar / Flickr
Vermont: Burlington-South Burlington*
> Poverty rate: 11.4% (Vermont: 10.2%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 23,934 (Vermont: 60,897)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 7.9% (Vermont: 10.0%)
> Median household income: $74,909 (Vermont: $63,001)
*Because Burlington-South Burlington is the only eligible metro in Vermont, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
Source: Smash the Iron Cage / Wikimedia Commons
Virginia: Blacksburg-Christiansburg
> Poverty rate: 22.9% (Virginia: 9.9%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 34,759 (Virginia: 822,775)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 7.8% (Virginia: 7.8%)
> Median household income: $56,092 (Virginia: $76,456)
[in-text-ad]
Source: BehindTheLens / Getty Images
Washington: Yakima
> Poverty rate: 16.9% (Washington: 9.8%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 41,667 (Washington: 730,240)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 19.6% (Washington: 10.6%)
> Median household income: $56,233 (Washington: $78,687)
Source: BackyardProduction / Getty Images
West Virginia: Morgantown
> Poverty rate: 20.1% (West Virginia: 16.0%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 26,054 (West Virginia: 278,734)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 10.3% (West Virginia: 16.9%)
> Median household income: $56,395 (West Virginia: $48,850)
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/teamperks/
Wisconsin: Janesville-Beloit
> Poverty rate: 13.5% (Wisconsin: 10.4%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 21,405 (Wisconsin: 591,486)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 14.5% (Wisconsin: 9.4%)
> Median household income: $61,243 (Wisconsin: $64,168)
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
Wyoming: Cheyenne*
> Poverty rate: 9.8% (Wyoming: 10.1%)
> Number of people living below poverty line: 9,469 (Wyoming: 56,945)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 6.8% (Wyoming: 4.7%)
> Median household income: $70,567 (Wyoming: $65,003)
*Because Cheyenne is the only eligible metro in Wyoming, it is the metro with the highest poverty rate by default.
Methodology:
To determine the metro with the highest poverty rate in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed one-year estimates of the percentage of people who live below the poverty line in each metropolitan area from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
We used the 384 metropolitan statistical areas as delineated by the United States Office of Management and Budget and used by the Census Bureau as our definition of metros.
Metros were excluded if 25% or more of a ZIP code’s population were enrolled in undergraduate, professional, or graduate school during the same period, or if the sampling error associated with a metro’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 metro’s poverty rate was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all metros’ poverty rates. We similarly excluded metros that had a sampling error too high for their population, using the same definition.
Since many metros cross state lines, the metro was assigned to the state of its first-listed principal city. Thus, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area was excluded as it is principally in the District of Columbia.
The remaining 367 metros were ranked within their state 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 one-year estimates from the 2019 ACS.
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
