Houston has been ranking #1 on a number of lists lately – but not the good kind. A few short weeks after Houston was named the “smelliest city in the country“, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data this past Thursday revealing that Houston has the highest poverty rate of the country’s largest cities.
Among the 10 most populous cities in the United States, the U.S. Census Bureau has revealed, Houston has the largest poverty rate at 21.1% with half a million Houston residents earning below the federal poverty threshold in 2024.
The poverty threshold depends on the number of people per household and number of children: an income of $15,940 for a single person and $31,130 for a house of four (two adults, two children). In 2024, the U.S. poverty rate was 12.1%.
Previously, Philadelphia had held the largest poverty rate among the country’s largest cities. Following a trend of steady decline since 2011, this year’s data reveals Philadelphia’s lowest poverty rate since the late 1970s at 19.7%, according to the Inquirer.
Important to note that the margin of error for both of these cities is .5% to 1% (2% at the highest) — meaning that poverty rates are within the margin of error and could redefine the results’ top spot.
The cities with the highest poverty rates in the country according to the report are as follows:
- Houston: 21.2%
- Philadelphia: 19.7%
- New York City: 18%
- San Antonio: 17.1%
- Chicago: 16.6%
- Los Angeles: 16%
Houston’s highest poverty rate peaked in the aftermath of the Great Recession around 2011/2012 at around 23%-24%. After a period of decline, the city has seen a steady rate around 19.5% for the past five years.
Daniel Potter, director of the Houston Population Research Center at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, said, as reported by Houston Chronicle, submitted the need to prioritize jobs, and policies that attract them, that yield higher wages.
“As we continue to grow and expand the Houston economy and the juggernaut that it is, we have to make sure we’re prioritizing those positions, occupations, and industries that are living wage jobs”.