--- description: Census numbers find drops in poverty rates title: This is the poorest big city in the U.S. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14a0b8effb9046de/698864222dce0172759e590a/gettyimages-162579495.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Demographics](/tag/demographics/) ## Demographics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This is the Poorest Big City in the U.S. ## Video: When will Detroit recover? [Watch (HLS stream): When will Detroit recover?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uP1bQJZd.m3u8) (2:45)  _Published 2014-06-01. Job creation is key to Detroit's comeback, but growth may still be slow say experts._ by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 17, 2015 10:01 PM CUT  DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 24: Traffic moves along a street February 24, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The city of Detroit has faced serious economic challenges in the past decade, with a shrinking population and tax base while trying to maintain essential services. A financial review team issued a finding on February 19 identifying the city as being under a 'financial emergency.' Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has 30 days from the report's issuance to officially declare a financial emergency, which could result in the governor appointing an emergency financial manager to oversee Detroit's municipal government. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images) DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 24: Traffic moves along a street February 24, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The city of Detroit has faced serious economic challenges in the past decade, with a shrinking population and tax base while trying to maintain essential services. A financial review team issued a finding on February 19 identifying the city as being under a 'financial emergency.' Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has 30 days from the report's issuance to officially declare a financial emergency, which could result in the governor appointing an emergency financial manager to oversee Detroit's municipal government. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)J.D. Pooley—Getty Images by [Josh Sanburn](/author/josh-sanburn/) ## Josh Sanburn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 17, 2015 10:01 PM CUT Almost 4 in 10 people in Detroit live in poverty, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau Wednesday, making it the most impoverished big city in the U.S. According to the Census, 39.3% of people in Detroit live below the poverty line (defined as $24,250 for a family of four). The city, which has struggled for decades following the loss of manufacturing and auto jobs, is the poorest in America with more than 300,000 people, followed by Cleveland (39.2%), Fresno, Calif., (30.5%), Memphis (29.8%), and Milwaukee (29%). But the city’s rate has actually decreased from 2012, when it was 42.3%. The poverty rate at a national level, however, declined slightly in 2014\. Nationally, 15.5% of Americans live in poverty, down from 15.8% in 2013\. Mississippi is the most impoverished state with 21.5% of residents living below the poverty line, followed by New Mexico (21.3%), Louisiana (19.8%), Alabama (19.3%) and Kentucky (19.1%). And while Detroit is struggling, it’s not the worst-off city in the U.S. If you compare cities with 65,000 or more people, the big loser is Youngstown, Ohio which, with its 40.7% rate of poverty, has never recovered from the loss of the steel industry decades ago. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4039249/detroit-poverty-rate-census/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4039249/detroit-poverty-rate-census/"},"headline":"This is the Poorest Big City in the U.S.","datePublished":"2015-09-17T22:01:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:02:41.337Z","description":"There's no change at the bottom","url":"https://time.com/4039249/detroit-poverty-rate-census/","keywords":["Demographics","Detroit","poverty","Cleveland","Census"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14a0b8effb9046de/698864222dce0172759e590a/gettyimages-162579495.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Sanburn","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-sanburn/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14a0b8effb9046de/698864222dce0172759e590a/gettyimages-162579495.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"City Of Detroit Teeters On Bankruptcy As State Audits Its Finances","caption":"City Of Detroit Teeters On Bankruptcy As State Audits Its Finances","creditText":"J.D. 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