Philadelphia recorded the highest poverty rate among major US cities in 2025

Philadelphia had the highest poverty rate among large US cities in 2025, with 20.4 per cent of residents below the federal poverty threshold. New York City and Houston were tied at 17.7 per cent, while the national rate was 10.2 per cent, making the figures a measure of how poverty varies between major cities and the country overall.

The threshold for a family of four was an annual income below $33,000. Philadelphia’s rate rose after falling below 20 per cent for the first time since 1979 last year; it was also the city’s first increase since 2011. Houston’s rate fell from 21.2 per cent and New York City’s from 18.2 per cent. The national figure equated to about 34.5 million people, while the supplemental poverty rate, which includes support such as food assistance, was 13.1 per cent.