The COVID-19 pandemic sent the U.S. unemployment rate to 14.8% in April 2020, its highest level since the Great Depression. Normally, such an economic shock would result in a spike in the national poverty rate. However, due to three rounds of economic stimulus payments, some experts predict the poverty rate may actually decline substantially in 2020.
As of 2019, the most recent year with an official poverty rate released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 13.4% of the U.S. population lived below the poverty line. By some estimates, that share might have dropped as low as 7.7% in 2020, the lowest level since 1967, when record keeping began.Â
Of course, the poverty rate varies considerably across the country, and even before the COVID-19 unemployment crisis, there were parts of the country where poverty was already widespread — where the share of residents living in poverty was more than double the national average.Â
Using five-year estimates from the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 50 U.S. towns with the highest poverty rate. We considered all cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated communities with populations between 1,000 and 25,000 in our analysis.Â
The majority of the places on this list are located in the South — with eight towns in Mississippi alone.Â
The poverty threshold is based on income, and in most of the country, an individual with an annual income of less than $12,880, or a family of four earning less than $26,500, is considered to be living in poverty. Not surprisingly, in every town on this list, the median household income is lower than the $62,843 national median. Here is a look at the poorest town in every state.
Click here to see the towns with the highest poverty rates in the nation
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
50. Rayville, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 49.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,685 — 1,291st highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.2% — 39th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $19,950 — 44th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: By Chillin662 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30292866 / Wikimedia Commons
49. Itta Bena, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 49.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 761 — 3,589th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 22.8% — 2,008th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $17,210 — 17th lowest of 12,130 towns
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48. Black Rock, New Mexico
> Poverty rate: 49.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 815 — 3,354th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.3% — 38th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $37,632 — 1,901st lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
Source: Chillin662 / Wikimedia Commons
47. Shaw, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 49.6%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 994 — 2,664th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 37.0% — 357th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,265 — 49th lowest of 12,130 towns
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46. Friars Point, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 49.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 696 — 3,929th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 42.8% — 141st highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $20,250 — 48th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Jaimie Tuchman / iStock via Getty Images
45. Bayou L’Ourse, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 50.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 955 — 2,791st highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 22.4% — 2,107th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $23,457 — 145th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
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44. Moorhead, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 50.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 663 — 4,104th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 44.3% — 115th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,000 — 67th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
43. Lake Providence, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 50.6%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,386 — 1,726th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 34.2% — 496th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $18,316 — 23rd lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: By Michael Rivera - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24070651
42. Cordele, Georgia
> Poverty rate: 50.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 5,348 — 54th highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 39.9% — 240th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,350 — 76th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: J.B. Chandler, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
41. Fort Belknap Agency, Montana
> Poverty rate: 50.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 760 — 3,595th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 42.4% — 152nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $32,708 — 1,030th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
40. Uniontown, Alabama
> Poverty rate: 51.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 954 — 2,795th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 40.5% — 218th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $17,000 — 12th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: By Marine 69-71 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80316397 / Wikimedia Commons
39. Bylas, Arizona
> Poverty rate: 51.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 863 — 3,166th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 45.2% — 102nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $28,558 — 481st lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Courtesy of Town of Williston, South Carolina via Facebook
38. Williston, South Carolina
> Poverty rate: 51.6%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,507 — 1,539th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 26.2% — 1,364th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,076 — 45th lowest of 12,130 towns
37. Presidio, Texas
> Poverty rate: 51.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,079 — 893rd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 46.1% — 85th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,794 — 61st lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: thinkreaction / iStock via Getty Images
36. Oasis, California
> Poverty rate: 51.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,479 — 1,580th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 17.5% — 3,582nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $19,457 — 38th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Greg Hume / Wikimedia Commons
35. Skyline Acres, Ohio
> Poverty rate: 51.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,174 — 2,174th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 28.9% — 967th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $32,333 — 974th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
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Source: By Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14824491 / Wikimedia Commons
34. Batesville, Texas
> Poverty rate: 51.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 752 — 3,634th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 51.6% — 29th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $34,231 — 1,282nd lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: By Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16223714 / Wikimedia Commons
33. Cotton Valley, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 52.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 551 — 4,828th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 41.2% — 194th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,446 — 51st lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: By derivative work: AFBorchert (talk)AZ_264_Second_Mesa_2006_09_08.jpg: Reinhard Schön (original photograph) and Andreas F. Borchert (postprocessing) - AZ_264_Second_Mesa_2006_09_08.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4577591 / Wikimedia Commons
32. Shongopovi, Arizona
> Poverty rate: 52.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 529 — 4,982nd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 55.7% — 14th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $32,708 — 1,030th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
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Source: Harry Weddington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Wikimedia Commons
31. Fort Thompson, South Dakota
> Poverty rate: 52.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 636 — 4,268th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 66.7% — 2nd highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $23,594 — 151st lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
30. Cullen, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 52.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 592 — 4,537th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 51.1% — 34th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $16,108 — 6th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
29. Alorton, Illinois
> Poverty rate: 53.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 980 — 2,708th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 45.1% — 104th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $22,593 — 118th lowest of 12,130 towns
28. Franklinville, North Carolina
> Poverty rate: 53.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 965 — 2,753rd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 42.6% — 144th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,970 — 96th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Carol M. Highsmith / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
27. Escobares, Texas
> Poverty rate: 54.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,379 — 1,735th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.1% — 41st highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $23,438 — 142nd lowest of 12,130 towns
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26. Tchula, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 54.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,039 — 2,541st highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 28.8% — 980th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $14,489 — 2nd lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
25. El Cenizo, Texas
> Poverty rate: 54.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,738 — 1,229th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.5% — 66th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,580 — 54th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Ecomerford, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
24. Pine Manor, Florida
> Poverty rate: 54.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,668 — 528th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 30.3% — 805th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $22,052 — 102nd lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Gpeytoncrowder, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
23. Watts Mills, South Carolina
> Poverty rate: 55.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 757 — 3,606th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 22.4% — 2,107th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $24,091 — 171st lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
22. Homerville, Georgia
> Poverty rate: 55.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,289 — 1,914th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 28.2% — 1,059th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $19,917 — 43rd lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: W Nowicki, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
21. Hawaiian Ocean View, Hawaii
> Poverty rate: 55.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,764 — 479th highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 47.5% — 66th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $15,654 — 5th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Capricorn90, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
20. Richgrove, California
> Poverty rate: 55.4%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,283 — 1,930th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 30.5% — 788th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,962 — 65th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Foreverwiser, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
19. Little Round Lake, Wisconsin
> Poverty rate: 55.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 592 — 4,537th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 37.1% — 350th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,985 — 99th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Courtesy of Centreville Baptist Church via Facebook
18. Centreville, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 57.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 944 — 2,846th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 31.4% — 702nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $20,720 — 58th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Norm Lane / iStock via Getty Images
17. Canyon Day, Arizona
> Poverty rate: 57.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 934 — 2,876th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 45.9% — 91st highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $29,042 — 527th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Shadow_Hawk / iStock via Getty Images
16. San Carlos, Arizona
> Poverty rate: 58.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,584 — 573rd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 52.7% — 22nd highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $23,750 — 157th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: By NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA - Pine Ridge CemeteryUploaded by AlbertHerring, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29464149 / Wikimedia Commons
15. Conehatta, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 58.5%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 678 — 4,023rd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 37.4% — 332nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: Not available
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Source: By Jared Winkler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109993260 / Wikimedia Commons
14. Mission, South Dakota
> Poverty rate: 58.7%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 748 — 3,651st highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 36.0% — 404th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,029 — 69th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Z28scrambler / Wikimedia Commons
13. Simmesport, Louisiana
> Poverty rate: 59.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 926 — 2,900th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 42.4% — 152nd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $17,120 — 14th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: John Moore / Getty Images
12. Scissors, Texas
> Poverty rate: 60.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,189 — 803rd highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 61.8% — 7th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $22,887 — 128th lowest of 12,130 towns
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11. Rosedale, Mississippi
> Poverty rate: 60.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 939 — 2,859th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.0% — 43rd highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $15,615 — 4th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
10. Medina, Texas
> Poverty rate: 61.2%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,862 — 435th highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 41.3% — 188th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $29,958 — 618th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: LindaJohnsonbaugh / Getty Images
9. Navajo, New Mexico
> Poverty rate: 63.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 914 — 2,944th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 49.8% — 46th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $21,500 — 81st lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: iStock / Getty Images
8. Citrus City, Texas
> Poverty rate: 65.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 2,139 — 840th highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 58.7% — 9th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $16,818 — 9th lowest of 12,130 towns
Source: Courtesy of Google Maps 2013
7. New Square, New York
> Poverty rate: 65.9%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 5,507 — 43rd highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 72.3% — 1st highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $23,730 — 156th lowest of 12,130 towns
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6. Cibecue, Arizona
> Poverty rate: 66.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,277 — 1,947th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 57.5% — 11th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $15,417 — 3rd lowest of 12,130 towns
5. Fort Totten, North Dakota
> Poverty rate: 66.3%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 818 — 3,340th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 44.2% — 117th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $22,917 — 130th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images
4. Rosebud, South Dakota
> Poverty rate: 67.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,122 — 2,302nd highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 50.4% — 37th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $19,453 — 37th lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: By Bedford at English Wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17983494 / Wikimedia Commons
3. Breckinridge Center, Kentucky
> Poverty rate: 69.1%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,320 — 1,858th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 29.1% — 937th highest of 12,142 towns (tied)
> Median household income: $43,750 — 3,377th lowest of 12,130 towns (tied)
Source: Alexisrael / Wikimedia Commons
2. Kaser, New York
> Poverty rate: 70.8%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 3,726 — 224th highest of 12,143 towns
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: 64.4% — 4th highest of 12,142 towns
> Median household income: $21,541 — 83rd lowest of 12,130 towns
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Source: Daniel Case / Wikimedia Commons
1. Watchtower, New York
> Poverty rate: 92.0%
> Number of people living below poverty line: 1,938 — 1,017th highest of 12,143 towns (tied)
> Households receiving SNAP benefits: Not available
> Median household income: Not available
Methodology
To determine the towns with the highest 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 towns based on population thresholds — having at least 1,000 people and less than 25,000 people — and 13,332 of the places fell within these thresholds.
Towns were excluded if poverty rates were not available in the 2019 ACS, if the population living in poverty was less than 1,000, if 25% or more of a town’s population were enrolled in undergraduate, professional, or graduate school during the same period, or if the sampling error associated with a town’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 town’s poverty rate was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all towns’ poverty rates. We similarly excluded towns that had a sampling error too high for their population for which poverty status had been determined, using the same definition.
The remaining 12,143 places were ranked based on their poverty rates. To break ties, we used median household income.
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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