30 Places in America That Are Getting Poorer
America has changed significantly since the end of the 1960s, but one of the changes with the greatest impact has been the economic shift away from a manufacturing economy and toward a service-based one. It’s a change that has resulted in millions of jobs that used to be the bedrock of the American middle class moving overseas and leaving little in the void they left to support working families.
If you live somewhere that depends on industries that haven’t taken a hit, this might seem like a more remote problem. However, if you live in one of the major American cities that has been truly left behind in this race to the future, the consequences of this shift are a daily reality you can’t ignore — a long process of it getting harder and harder for people to make ends meet.
To highlight this, GOBankingRates has taken a closer look at which American cities are losing economic ground over time. The study highlights how per capita income, median household income, poverty rates and population have changed from 1970 to present, scoring each category to determine which city has seen the biggest declines (and increases, in the case of poverty rates) overall.
So, which city has had it the hardest during the long decline of American manufacturing? Here’s a closer look at which places in America are getting poorer.
Last updated: Oct. 8, 2020
30. Las Vegas
Change in per capita income: $6,513
Change in median household income: -$8,583
Change in population: 500,847
Change in poverty rate: 79.55%
29. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Change in per capita income: $9,898
Change in median household income: -$6,496
Change in population: 70,585
Change in poverty rate: 55.12%
28. Fresno, California
Change in per capita income: $4,505
Change in median household income: -$524
Change in population: 356,305
Change in poverty rate: 42.33%
27. Reno, Nevada
Change in per capita income: $6,645
Change in median household income: -$6,441
Change in population: 169,773
Change in poverty rate: 69.41%
26. Stockton, California
Change in per capita income: $3,206
Change in median household income: -$1,710
Change in population: 196,323
Change in poverty rate: 42.36%
The Opposite: 17 Cities That Are Getting Richer
25. Kansas City, Missouri
Change in per capita income: $8,952
Change in median household income: -$7,290
Change in population: -25,670
Change in poverty rate: 71.88%
24. Columbus, Ohio
Change in per capita income: $7,237
Change in median household income: -$7,968
Change in population: 327,951
Change in poverty rate: 90.65%
23. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Change in per capita income: $10,253
Change in median household income: -$12,909
Change in population: 59,399
Change in poverty rate: 41.57%
22. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Change in per capita income: $8,984
Change in median household income: -$9,851
Change in population: 108,445
Change in poverty rate: 64.39%
Find Out: Best and Worst States To Be Poor in America
21. Memphis, Tennessee
Change in per capita income: $7,269
Change in median household income: -$9,417
Change in population: 29,718
Change in poverty rate: 30.10%
20. Minneapolis
Change in per capita income: $14,229
Change in median household income: -$8,877
Change in population: -18,379
Change in poverty rate: 197.01%
19. Anaheim, California
Change in per capita income: $2,559
Change in median household income: -$3,869
Change in population: 182,967
Change in poverty rate: 133.85%
18. Tucson, Arizona
Change in per capita income: $3,436
Change in median household income: -$8,806
Change in population: 276,283
Change in poverty rate: 64.79%
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17. Pittsburgh
Change in per capita income: $11,686
Change in median household income: -$10,605
Change in population: -216,530
Change in poverty rate: 125.26%
16. Miami
Change in per capita income: $4,989
Change in median household income: -$14,683
Change in population: 116,355
Change in poverty rate: 71.13%
15. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Change in per capita income: $5,309
Change in median household income: -$15,821
Change in population: 86,381
Change in poverty rate: 130.67%
14. Baltimore
Change in per capita income: $8,462
Change in median household income: -$12,595
Change in population: -291,059
Change in poverty rate: 92.92%
13. Indianapolis
Change in per capita income: $5,294
Change in median household income: -$15,830
Change in population: 113,013
Change in poverty rate: 117.05%
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12. St. Paul, Minnesota
Change in per capita income: $7,194
Change in median household income:-$12,785
Change in population: -7,220
Change in poverty rate: 197.01%
11. Chicago
Change in per capita income: $10,265
Change in median household income: -$13,671
Change in population: -648,402
Change in poverty rate: 109.68%
10. St. Louis
Change in per capita income: $7,349
Change in median household income: -$18,942
Change in population: -310,963
Change in poverty rate: 122.02%
9. Cincinnati
Change in per capita income: $8,492
Change in median household income: -$19,472
Change in population: -152,167
Change in poverty rate: 156.60%
8. Santa Ana, California
Change in per capita income: -$5,425
Change in median household income: -$11,538
Change in population: 176,898
Change in poverty rate: 172.31%
See: The Cheapest Neighborhoods in the 50 Biggest US Cities
7. Philadelphia
Change in per capita income: $4,648
Change in median household income: -$18,071
Change in population: -373,087
Change in poverty rate: 149.00%
6. Toledo, Ohio
Change in per capita income: $666
Change in median household income: -$25,688
Change in population: -105,625
Change in poverty rate: 178.26%
5. Buffalo, New York
Change in per capita income: $2,810
Change in median household income: -$23,847
Change in population: -205,250
Change in poverty rate: 232.97%
4. Milwaukee
Change in per capita income: $129
Change in median household income: -$26,016
Change in population: -120,213
Change in poverty rate: 236.71%
3. Newark, New Jersey
Change in per capita income: -$6,229
Change in median household income: -$33,346
Change in population: -101,954
Change in poverty rate: 207.69%
2. Cleveland
Change in per capita income: -$3,396
Change in median household income: -$37,290
Change in population: -363,505
Change in poverty rate: 284.44%
1. Detroit
Change in per capita income: -$6,393
Change in median household income: -$42,100
Change in population: -834,327
Change in poverty rate: 328.24%
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Methodology: GOBankingRates determined which U.S. cities are now poorer than they were by analyzing 78 major cities in terms of the following factors: (1) per capita income in 1969-1970, adjusted for inflation; (2) per capita income in 2018; (3) difference between the 1970 and 2018 per capita incomes; (4) median household income in 1969-1970, adjusted for inflation; (5) median household income in 2018; (6) difference between the 1970 and 2018 household incomes; (7) population in 1970 vs. 2018; and (8) poverty rate in 1969-70 vs. 2018. All data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. 2018 data was taken from the American Community Survey and data for 1969-70 was taken from historical reports and archived data. All inflation calculations were performed using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI inflation calculator. World Population Review was used for population data for those places with no Census Bureau data on population available. All data was collected on and up to date as of June 24, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Places in America That Are Getting Poorer
