[NEWS] Philadelphia’s poverty rate is improving, but it remains the poorest big city in America

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Philadelphia’s poverty rate is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades — but vast disparities exist between racial groups, with communities of color bearing the brunt of the city’s economic struggle.

At the same time, median household incomes grew last year, but those gains were entirely overshadowed by the high rate of inflation.

And Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in the nation. But its 21.7% poverty rate is close to that of Houston, meaning that the city could shed its longtime and unwanted title in the coming years if trends continue.

That’s according to new data for 2022 released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, part of an annual trove of estimates detailing social, demographic, economic, and housing trends for the nation’s large counties and cities."