Which is the poorest city in the United States as of 2015?
Some information about the city of Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas:
- Median household income: $32,093
- Median home value: $76,200
- Unemployment rate: 6.8%
- Poverty rate: 35.2%
These several measures make Brownsville-Harlingen the poorest city of the US. A typical household of this city earns approximately 22 thousand dollars less than an average American family. One third of the residents live in poverty, which is, probably, the result of the poor education. Only 65% of the residents have graduated from the high school. It's 22.3 percentage points fewer than the national figure. About 29% of area households rely on food stamps, the third highest share of any metro area in the country.
More Info:
247wallst.com
What are your thoughts on this subject?
93 Comments
Jean Hollander
We must take care of our own before we go to other countries.
William Laughlin
Humanitarian work is humanitarian work, no matter where the beneficiaries are. We could do both with a small reduction in our defense budget. We spend more than the next 7 countries combined.
strongdarren
Every city is poor. The country is broke. Shhh we not supposed to know.
Harvey Armbrust
We are taking care of other countries. Brownsville is a border town which means they have a very high illegal alien population.
Frederick Smith
I found at least 2 other sites that dispute this answer.
Larry W. Jones
William Laughlin I would agree with you except for the fact the military, including retirees, have not had a decent raise since Obama took office. I am a completely disabled veteran, and I have had NO raise in the last three years, I think it is.
Barbara Ell
Reported this question. Here it is 7 years later and Brownsville isn't one of the 10 poorest cities in the state of Texas, so how do we know that it was the poorest in the US in 2015.
Richard Rubright
IMHO it ridiculous to ask for "as of" statistics for more than 2 years ago. More current and more relevant numbers must certainly be available. Besides, what can anyone do about poverty 8 years ago? Oh look, the question is that old! Nevermind. BTW, Brownsville-Harlingen is a MSA composed of more than one "city."
kwallen
Harvey Armbrust, Thank you Harvey because you are exactly right, Down there it's All Illegal Aliens, it's a Border Town, it's like being in Mexico going there, No One speaks English, I'm from South Texas, So yea I know
Shirley Dutt
William Laughlin, We could also build a wall and stop welfare for illegals. We could also stop giving newborns of illegal peoples. We are the only country in the world that does this. If you are a USA citizen and you have a child in Mexico, it is still a citizen of the USA, not mexico!!!
vonlora
Lawanta , that is why is specified 2015. always thought of detroit as the poorest
james parrillo
Kevin Cochrane, Would you say that the people there have the essentials, food, housing, and clothes? I will pray that that is true. Thank you, Christine, James' wife
Lawanta
Seeing that most of the comments are from about 6 years ago, this question and answer needs to be date-stamped. None of the choices may be valid answers in 2023! 🤷🏻♀️
Kenneth Jacobs
Brownsville isn't even the poorest town in Texas. Cooper, a small city in northeastern Texas, has a poverty rate of over 40%. It is the only place in the state where most households earn less than $32,000 a year. Incomes tend to go up with educational attainment, and in Cooper, only 15.1% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, about half the comparable statewide share. Property values in Cooper reflect the area's low incomes. The typical area home is worth just $56,300 – less than half the value of the typical home in the state.
teacherchicky
WRONG answer! There are towns and cities in the US with a median income of less than $20,000 per year and Brownsville isn't even on the list of the poorest cities! There are cities near Detroit and in the Phoenix Arizona area that are much poorer than THIS answer! I protest because this answer is incorrect!
Richard D. Boyle
Cassandra Cobb, Your comments are accurate and on the money.TY 👍
Richard D. Boyle
Charles Borg, Try reading in the question “as of 2015”. Besides, your reference only includes large cities. There are always struggling mid-range and smaller cities, especially in the South, which are much poorer than any on your list. In 2015, the top two were both in Texas.
RUBY'S mom
Another example of the disparities in this country
And the rich get richer....
Charles Borg
I think this is the wrong answer. Here's what I found - The 10 Poorest Cities In America For 2021
Detroit, MI
Cleveland, OH
Dayton, OH
Rochester, NY
Hartford, CT
vudu
Jean Hollander - I thoroughly agree with you - we must, indeed, take are of our own!