This Is the City Hit Hardest by Extreme Poverty in Texas
There are an estimated 39.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, which, in the lower 48 states, is an annual income threshold of $12,880 for an individual and $26,500 for a family of four (Alaska and Hawaii have a slightly higher threshold). Living in poverty can have serious consequences and impacts nearly every aspect of life — and those problems can be compounded for those who are facing poverty while also living in very poor neighborhoods.
Residents of poor neighborhoods often struggle with higher crime rates, limited employment opportunities, lower school quality, and poor health outcomes. For those living on poverty level income, each of these factors reduces the likelihood of upward economic mobility.
Laredo has the highest concentrated poverty rate in Texas, and one of the highest in the United States. An estimated 46.4% of Laredo’s poor population reside in high-poverty neighborhoods, well above the 27.2% concentrated poverty rate in Waco, the second highest rate among Texas metro areas. Nationwide, Laredo’s concentrated poverty rate is second only to the 49.5% rate in Monroe, Louisiana.
Greater educational attainment typically leads to greater economic opportunity, and in Laredo, only about half of the 25 and older population have completed high school.
All data used in this story are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. We only considered census tracts, or neighborhoods, with at least 500 people and college or graduate school enrollment below 50%. Metro areas were also excluded if over 25% of the population in tracts or neighborhoods of concentrated poverty were college or university students.
Metro area with worst extreme povertyPoor residents in high-poverty neighborhoodsOverall poverty rateOverall poverty rate, statewideAlabama: Tuscaloosa16.7%18.2%16.7%Alaska: NoneN/AN/A10.7%Arizona: Phoenix9.9%13.6%15.1%Arkansas: Little Rock7.8%15.0%17.0%California: Fresno28.5%22.5%13.4%Colorado: Pueblo5.9%18.8%10.3%Connecticut: New Haven12.7%11.7%9.9%Delaware: NoneN/AN/A11.8%Florida: Tallahassee21.5%15.8%14.0%Georgia: Albany35.3%24.2%15.1%Hawaii: NoneN/AN/A9.4%Idaho: NoneN/AN/A13.1%Illinois: Danville20.6%18.9%12.5%Indiana: Muncie18.7%17.2%13.4%Iowa: Waterloo9.6%13.4%11.5%Kansas: Wichita5.7%13.0%12.0%Kentucky: Louisville11.2%12.3%17.3%Louisiana: Monroe49.5%24.2%19.2%Maine: Lewiston13.5%11.8%11.8%Maryland: Baltimore9.3%10.0%9.2%Massachusetts: Springfield23.4%14.8%10.3%Michigan: Flint32.4%18.9%14.4%Minnesota: Duluth7.9%13.0%9.7%Mississippi: Jackson21.3%16.9%20.3%Missouri: Cape Girardeau27.9%16.4%13.7%Montana: Great Falls19.8%13.3%13.1%Nebraska: Omaha3.8%10.3%11.1%Nevada: Las Vegas5.1%13.7%13.1%New Hampshire: Manchester2.9%7.8%7.6%New Jersey: Trenton21.3%11.7%10.0%New Mexico: Las Cruces26.1%26.3%19.1%New York: Buffalo27.4%14.0%14.1%North Carolina: Goldsboro12.5%20.2%14.7%North Dakota: NoneN/AN/A10.7%Ohio: Toledo26.0%16.0%14.0%Oklahoma: Oklahoma City9.2%13.7%15.7%Oregon: Medford2.3%15.5%13.2%Pennsylvania: Reading28.8%12.0%12.4%Rhode Island: Providence4.0%12.0%12.4%South Carolina: Columbia7.9%14.4%15.2%South Dakota: NoneN/AN/A13.1%Tennessee: Memphis24.6%17.5%15.2%Texas: Laredo46.4%27.5%14.7%Utah: NoneN/AN/A9.8%Vermont: NoneN/AN/A10.9%Virginia: Roanoke15.9%12.9%10.6%Washington: Yakima8.5%17.4%10.8%West Virginia: Huntington14.8%18.8%17.6%Wisconsin: Milwaukee17.4%13.1%11.3%Wyoming: NoneN/AN/A11.0%
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