Rochester and Syracuse among poorest cities in America

Rochester, New York – The Monroe Post received dozens of emails two weeks ago when we published the article about poverty in New York state. The State’s Comptroller’s Office released a 40-page report showing that nearly 2.7 million residents statewide, or 13.9% of the state’s population, live in poverty. The state of New York ranks 13 among all states as it has a significantly higher poverty rate than the national average of 12.8%, and has the worst results among all neighboring states.

In the report, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo were named the cities with the highest poverty rate statewide, as the data shows that one in four people lives in poverty there. Now, another survey conducted by American News Reports shows that Rochester and Syracuse are actually among the poorest cities in America.

In another one of our articles, we discussed Rochester’s job problem. Rochester residents are given few job opportunities in life as there aren’t many big companies or corporations to offer well-paying jobs. American News Reports noted this to be the biggest issue since Rochester was once known as the city many Americans would do anything to move to.

Several large corporations in the 70s and 80s had headquarters in the Rochester metro area, which was great for the local economy and attracted many people who wanted to live and work there. Over the years, most of them moved to other cities because local leaders started placing hefty taxes on companies. According to American News Reports, the poverty rate in Rochester is more than 30%, while the unemployment rate is nearly 9%, much above the national average.

Rochester is considered the fifth poorest city in America, according to the survey.

The vibrant city of Syracuse has been battling poverty for years, and things are slowly progressing for the better, but there is still a lot more to be done in the upcoming years. Although the city is known as a regional hub for entertainment in the United States, nearly 31% of the 142,553 Syracuse residents live in poverty. With an unemployment rate of 9.6%, Syracuse also has one of the worst child poverty rates among cities with over 100,000 residents.

Syracuse was ranked eighth on the list.

This is the full list of the poorest cities in America, according to American News Reports:

1: Detroit, Michigan

2: Cleveland, Ohio

3: Dayton, Ohio

4: Hartford, Connecticut

5: Rochester, New York

6: Newark, New Jersey

7: Jackson, Mississippi

8: Syracuse, New York

9: Toledo, Ohio

10: Allentown, Pennsylvania

Breaking the poverty cycle is difficult. Poverty is a huge problem for everyone living and working in a certain area, as a high poverty rate is closely connected with a high unemployment rate. Programs such as cash transfers or tax credits can provide a temporary financial boost to people living in poverty, helping them to afford basic necessities and invest in their future. Combating poverty, however, is a long and costly process that requires a lot of dedication and resources.