See richest, poorest U.S. cities and counties based on new Census data

By

MLive file photo of Chicago skyline.

BY JULIE MACK

California has 11 of the 20 most-affluent cities in the nation, while Florida and Ohio each have four cities on the list of the 20 poorest cities, based on an analysis of 2016 median household income.

The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2016 American Community Survey, the results of which were released this month. The release included numbers for the 599 U.S. municipalities and 806 counties with at least 65,000 residents.

This post features rankings of cities and counties in various categories. But first are online databases that allow readers to see the median income and poverty numbers for any city or county included in the data release.

Don't Edit

Look up median income, poverty for 599 U.S. cities

Above is the searchable database for U.S. cities with at least 65,000 residents. Just click on a state or type in the same of a specific municipality.

The U.S. median household income for 2016 was $56,516 and median family income was $71,062.  About 14% of all Americans and 19.5% of children under age 18 lived below the poverty line in 2016, according to Census estimates.

Household is defined as one or more people in a housing unit. Family is defined as a household with at least two residents who are related by marriage, birth or adoption. Income is defined money received by a household, including wages, Social Security, unemployment benefits and child support; it does not include non-cash benefits such as food stamps, housing subsidies and Medicare or Medicaid.

Don't Edit

Look up median income, poverty for 806 U.S. counties

This second database above has data for 806 of the country's 3,144 counties. While only a fourth of U.S. counties, these 806 counties house 84% of the U.S. population.

In either database, you can create rankings by choosing "all states" or a single state, then clicking on a category label to create a bottom-to-top or top-to-bottom list. Click once to list the lowest numbers first; click twice to list the highest numbers first.

Because this data is based on the American Community Survey, these numbers are estimates and have a margin of error that increases as community size decreases.

Don't Edit

The pin drop shows the location of San Ramon, Calif., the No. 1 city for median household income in 2016. Notice that Pleasanton, the No. 2 city is 10 miles south of San Ramon. (Graphic: Google Maps)

City with highest median income: San Ramon, Calif.

San Ramon, Calif. --- a community of about 75,000 residents 15 miles east of San Francisco -- was the city with the nation's highest median household income in 2016. (It also was No. 1 for median family income.) San Ramon is the headquarters of Chevron, the West Coast headquarters of AT&T and 24-Hour Fitness.

Here are the 20 cities with at least 65,000 residents that had the highest median income in 2016.

  1. San Ramon, Calif., $151,327;
  2. Pleasanton, Calif., $142,412;
  3. Newton, Mass., $135,646;
  4. Palo Alto, Calif., $132,673;
  5. Flower Mount, Texas, $131,470;
  6. Yorba Linda, Calif., $126,350;
  7. Frisco, Texas, $124,829;
  8. Fremont, Calif., $122,419;
  9. Sunnyvale, Calif., $121,546;
  10. Mountain View, Calif., $121,533;
  11. Naperville, Ill., $116,482;
  12. Milpitas, Calif., $116,056;
  13. Johns Creek, Ga., $115,776;
  14. San Mateo, Calif., $114,444;
  15. Kirkland, Wash., $114,336;
  16. Maple Grove, Minn., $113,957;
  17. Bellevue, Wash., $113,877;
  18. Newport Beach, Calif., $113,300;
  19. Carlsbad, Calif., $113,217;
  20. Carmel, Ind., $113,194.
Don't Edit

Reading, Pa., is about 50 miles northwest of Pennsylvania. (Graphic: Google Maps)

City with lowest median income: Reading, Pa.

Reading, Pa. -- a city of 85,000 about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia -- had the nation's lowest median household income among cities with at least 65,000 residents. Settled by German immigrants, Reading was once a flourishing manufacturing and railroad hub. Those industries have declined, and today Reading is best known for its pretzel factories and outlet malls. About 58% of its residents are Hispanic.

Here are the 20 cities with the lowest median household income.

  1. Reading, Pa., $25,865;
  2. Flint, Mich., $25,896;
  3. Camden, N.J., $26,783;
  4. Youngstown, Ohio, $26,789;
  5. Cleveland, Ohio, $27,551;
  6. Detroit, Mich., $28,099;
  7. Dayton, Ohio, $28,894;
  8. Gary, Ind., $29,522;
  9. Hialeah, Fla., $30,495;
  10. Newark, N.J., $31,100;
  11. Daytona Beach, Fla., $31,273;
  12. Trenton, N.J., $31,592;
  13. Rochester, N.Y., $31,693;
  14. Canton, Ohio, $31,714;
  15. Homestead, Fla., $32,001;
  16. Bloomington, Ind., $32,136;
  17. Muncie, Ind., $32,500;
  18. Buffalo, N.Y., $32,883;
  19. Gainesville, $32,968;
  20. Springfield, Mo., $33,286.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit

Maple Grove is located northwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul and is marked by the red pin on this map. The city with the second-lowest poverty rate is Woodbury, a Twin Cities suburb located just east of St. Paul. (Graphic: Google Maps)

City with lowest poverty rate: Maple Grove, Minn.

Maple Grove, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul, had the nation's lowest poverty rate in 2016 among cities with at least 65,000 residents. The 2016 poverty threshold was $11,770 for a single person, $15,930 for two people and $20,090 for a household of three.

Here are the 20 cities with the lowest poverty rates in 2016.

  1. Maple Grove, Minn., 2%;
  2. Woodbury, Minn., 2.3%;
  3. Cedar Park, Texas, 2.5%;
  4. Centennial, Colo., 2.7%;
  5. Fishers, Ind., 2.9%;
  6. Fremont, Calif., 3.1%;
  7. San Ramon, Calif., 3.2%;
  8. West Jordan, Utah, 3.3%;
  9. O'Fallon, Mo., 3.3%;
  10. Arlington Heights, Ill., 3.7%;
  11. Allen, Texas, 3.7%;
  12. Plymouth, Minn., 3.8%;
  13. Georgetown, Texas, 3.9%;
  14. Carmel, Ind., 3.9%;
  15. South Jordan, Utah, 4.1%;
  16. Newtown, Mass., 4.1%;
  17. Troy, Mich., 4.1%;
  18. Mansfield, Texas, 4.1%;
  19. Naperville, Ill., 4.1%;
  20. Mount Pleasant, S.C., 4.2%.
Don't Edit

Flint is located about 70 miles northwest of Detroit. (Graphic: Google Maps)

City with highest poverty rate: Flint, Mich.

Flint, the Michigan city best known now for its ongoing water crisis, had the nation's highest poverty rate in 2016 among cities with at least 65,000 residents.

The 2016 list of U.S. cities with the highest poverty rates:

  1. Flint, Mich., 44.5%;
  2. Bloomington, Ind, 38.1%;
  3. Reading, Pa., 36.8%;
  4. Detroit, Mich.,35.7%;
  5. Youngstown, Ohio, 35.2%;
  6. Cleveland, Ohio, 35%;
  7. Homestead, Fla. 33.9%;
  8. Gainesville, Fla., 33.4%;
  9. Gary, Ind., 33.3%;
  10. Albany, Ga., 32.5%;
  11. Laredo, Texas, 32.4%;
  12. Rochester, N.Y., 33.4%
  13. Syracuse, N.Y., 32.1%;
  14. Dayton, Ohio, 32%;
  15. Passaic, N.J., 31.6%;
  16. Canton, Ohio, 31.5%;
  17. College Station, Texas, 31.1%;
  18. Kalamazoo, Mich., 30.9%;
  19. Shreveport, La., 30.8%
  20. Dearborn, Mich., 30.6%.
Don't Edit

City with highest childhood poverty rate: Flint

Flint also had the highest rate in the nation for childhood poverty in 2016.

The top 10 cities for childhood poverty:

  1. Flint, Mich., 57.7%;
  2. Gary, Ind., 53.6%;
  3. Youngstown, Ohio, 53.5%;
  4. Cleveland, Ohio, 51.4%;
  5. Detroit, Mich., 50.8%;
  6. Reading, Pa.,  48.9%;
  7. Canton, Ohio, 48.9%;
  8. Rocchester, N.Y., 48.6%;
  9. Syracuse, N.Y., 47.4%;
  10. Dayton, Ohio,; 47.3%;
  11. Shreveport, Las, 45.9%;
  12. Passaic, N.J., 45.6%;
  13. Albany, Ga., 45.5%;
  14. Kissimmee, Fla., 44.8%;
  15. Memphis, Tenn., 44.7%;
  16. Laredo, Texas, 44.4%;
  17. Wilmington, Del., 44.3%;
  18. San Bernadino, Calif., 44%;
  19. Buffalo, N.Y., 43.9%;
  20. North Little Rock, Ark., 42.8%.
Don't Edit

How college campuses can skew poverty numbers

The inclusion of Bloomington, Gainesville, College Station and Kalamazoo on the list of cities with high poverty rates can be partially explained by the fact they are medium-size cities with big state universities (Indiana University, University of Florida, Texas A&M and Western Michigan University respectively).

In calculating poverty, the Census doesn't include students who live in dormitories. But they do count students who live off-campus, who can have deceptively low incomes. Bloomington, for instance, has a disproportionate number of residents age 18 to 34 -- and an estimated 58% in that age group had an income below the poverty line. Meanwhile, Bloomington's poverty rate for children under 18 -- typically the age group with the highest poverty rates -- was 24%.

Also keep in mind that many other college towns, such as East Lansing, have fewer than 65,000 residents, which means they were not included in the Census data release.

Don't Edit

Loundoun County, Va., located northwest of Washington, D.C., has the nation's highest median household income among counties with at least 65,000 residents and is shaded in pink on this map.  (Graphic: Google Maps)

County with highest median income: Loudoun County, Va.

The three U.S. counties with the highest household median income in 2016 are all in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metro region. No. 1 is Loudoun County, Va., which is home to Dulles International Airport and adjacent to Fairfax County, which is No. 3. on the list. No. 2 is Howard County, located in central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Here are the 20 counties with the highest median household income among U.S. counties with at least 65,000 residents.

  1. Loudoun County, Va., $134,464;
  2. Howard County, Md., $120,941;
  3. Fairfax County, Va., $115,717;
  4. Hunterdon County, N.J., $113,684;
  5. Santa Clara County, Calif., $111,069;
  6. Arlington County, Va., $110,388;
  7. Douglas County, Colo., $109,292;
  8. San Mateo County, Calif., $108,627;
  9. Morris County, N.J,. $106,985;
  10. Williamson County, Tenn., $106,054;
  11. Nassau County, N.Y., $105,870;
  12. Somerset County, N.J., $104,478;
  13. Marin County, Calif., $103,845;
  14. San Francisco County, Calif., $103,801;
  15. Delaware County, Ohio, $101,693;
  16. Forysth County, Ga., $100,909;
  17. Montgomery County, Md., $99,763;
  18. Calvert County, Md., $98,732;
  19. Prince William County, Va., $97,986;
  20. Stafford County, Va., $97,484.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit

St. Landry County in Louisiana is about 150 miles northwest of New Orleans. (Graphic: Google Maps)

County with lowest median income: St. Landry Parish, La.

St. Landry Parish, which is part of the Lafayette metro area in Louisiana, has the lowest median household income among U.S. counties with at least 65,000 residents.

Here are the 20 counties with the lowest median household income in 2016 among counties with at least 65,000 residents.

  1. St. Landry Parish, La., $31,207;
  2. McKinley County, N.M., $31,526;
  3. Orangeburg County, S.C., $32,450;
  4. Robeson County, N.C., $34,254;
  5. Apache County, Ariz., $34,685;
  6. Clarke County, Ga., $34,999;
  7. Nacogdoches County, Texas, $35,562;
  8. Webb County, Texas, $35,659;
  9. Payne County, Okla., $35,927;
  10. DeKalb County, Ala., $35,963;
  11. Rutherford County, N.C., $36,121;
  12. Hidalgo County, Texas, $36,176;
  13. Athens County, Ohio, $36,193;
  14. Caldwell County, N.C. $36,301;
  15. Josephine County, Ore., $36,472;
  16. Highlands County, Fla., $36,490;
  17. Bibb County, Ga., $36,724;
  18. Surry County, N.C., $36,802;
  19. Darlington County, S.C.: $36,841;
  20. Cleveland County, N.C. $36,992.
Don't Edit

Rockingham County, N.H.,  is located in the southeast corner of New Hampshire. (Graphic: Google Maps)

County with the lowest poverty rate: Rockingham, N.H.

Rockingham County, which is located in the southeast corner of New Hampshire and is part of the greater Boston area, has the nation's lowest poverty rate among counties with at least 65,000 residents. The 2016 poverty line was $11,770 for a single person, $15,930 for two people and $20,090 for a household of three.

Here are the top 20 counties with the lowest poverty rates in 2016.

  1. Rockingham County, N.H., 3.6%;
  2. Loudoun County, Va., 3.6%;
  3. Douglas County, Colo., 3.7%;
  4. Rockwell County, Texas, 3.9%;
  5. York County, Va., 3.9%;
  6. Carver County, Minn., 4.1%;
  7. Washington County, Minn., 4.3%;
  8. Dallas County, Iowa, 4.5%;
  9. Carroll County, Md., 4.5%;
  10. Wright County, Minn., 4.5%;
  11. Fauquier County, Va., 4.5%;
  12. Frederick County, Va., 4.5%;
  13. Geauga County, Ohio, 4.6%;
  14. Howard County, Md., 4.7%;
  15. Hunterdon County, N.J., 4.7%;
  16. Kendall County, Ill., 4.8%;
  17. Calvert County, Md., 4.89%;
  18. St. Charles County, Mo, 4.9%
  19. Warren County, Ohio, 4.9%;
  20. Somerset, N.J., 5%.
Don't Edit

McKinley County is located in northwest New Mexico. (Graphic: Google Maps)

County with highest poverty rate: McKinley County, N.M.

McKinley County in New Mexico, where three-quarters of the residents are Native Americans, has the highest poverty rate among U.S. counties with a population of at least 65,000 residents. Here's the list of the 20 U.S. counties with the highest poverty rates in 2016.

  1. McKinley County, N.M., 36.9%;
  2. Apache County, Ariz., 33.4%;
  3. Webb County, Texas, 33%;
  4. Hidalgo County, Texas, 31.4%;
  5. Dougherty County, Ga, 29.8%;
  6. Cameron County, Texas, 29.3%
  7. Athens County, Ohio, 29%;
  8. Navajo County, Ariz., 28.8%;
  9. Bronx County, N.Y., 28.7%;
  10. Nacogdoches County, Texas, 28.1%$35,562;
  11. Payne County, Okla., 27.9%;
  12. Clarke County, Ga., 27.7%;
  13. Forrest County, Miss., 27.7%;
  14. Robeson County, N.C.,27.3%;
  15. St. Landry Parish, La., 27.2%;
  16. Dona Ana County, N.M., 27.1%;
  17. Caddo Parish, La., 26.7%;
  18. Bibb County, Ga., 26.3%;
  19. Brazos, Texas, 26%;
  20. Philadelphia County, Pa., 25.7%.
Don't Edit

Median income for the nation's 10 biggest cities

Here are the 2016 median household incomes and poverty rates for the nation's 10 largest cities:

  1. 1. New York, $58,856, 18.9%;
  2. Los Angeles, $54,432, 19.5%;
  3. Chicago, $53,006, 19.1%;
  4. Houston, $47,793, 20.8%;
  5. Phoenix, $52,062, 20.3%;
  6. Philadelphia, $41,449, 25.7%;
  7. San Antonio, $49,268, 18.5%;
  8. San Diego, $71,481, 13.1%;
  9. Dallas, $47,243, 19.4%;
  10. San Jose, $101,940, 10.7%.
Don't Edit