Struggling to Get By, This is Where Poverty Hits the Hardest in Every U.S. State

US tariffs will likely lead to rising prices on consumer goods in the country. Interestingly, some experts say that Europe may see inflation rates lower at the exact time as prices head upwards in America. Economists do have some background for their predictions. A study conducted in 2019 showed that President Trump’s rising tariffs in […] The post Struggling to Get By, This is Where Poverty Hits the Hardest in Every U.S. State appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

May 5, 2025 - 20:32

Struggling to Get By, This is Where Poverty Hits the Hardest in Every U.S. State

US tariffs will likely lead to rising prices on consumer goods in the country. Interestingly, some experts say that Europe may see inflation rates lower at the exact time as prices head upwards in America. Economists do have some background for their predictions. A study conducted in 2019 showed that President Trump’s rising tariffs in 2018 went directly to the domestic prices of imported products. As prices rise, people with lower incomes struggle to make ends meet, and some American cities have more poverty-stricken areas than others. (Also see the 40 American cities with shrinking downtowns.)

When inflation impacts the economy, it’s lower-income Americans who are affected the most. High-income households may be able to weather rising prices without feeling detrimental effects, but lower-income households have more of a struggle paying for rising costs. While high-income households may have savings to fall back on or credit to help them when money is lean, lower-income households are left paying from paycheck to paycheck.

Most of the cities on our list have real estate markets with home values below the state and national average. In more than half of the cities on this list, the median home value is at least $75,000 lower than the statewide median.

24/7 Wall St. identified the poorest city in every state using data from five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. Within each state, we identified the city with the lowest median household income. We considered only the cities, towns, municipalities, and unincorporated communities with populations of at least 50,000. Neither Vermont nor West Virginia is home to a community with a population of 50,000 or more, and as a result, these states were excluded from analysis. In three states — Alaska, Delaware, and Maine — only one city met the population threshold. As a result, the listed city in these states ranks as the poorest by default only, and is noted as such. All supplemental data is also from the ACS, with the exception of population data, which came from the US Census Bureau.

(This article was updated on May 5, 2025, to reflect recent economic news regarding President Trump’s tariff policy.)

Why It Matters Now

Consumer prices have surged in recent years, and are likely to climb even higher with President Trump’s tariff policy. Inflation has a disproportionate impact on lower-income households. While cities are generally economic engines, nearly every state is home to at least one city where incomes are well below what is typical across the state as a whole. Residents of these places are more likely to report inflation-related stress and difficulty paying for usual expenses.

These are the poorest cities in each state: