POVERTY BY REGION
The South, Midwest and Northeast all remained statistically unchanged with the South leading with a 13.8 percent poverty rate.
The West was the only region to decrease from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 11.6 percent in 2006.
- The South continues to have the highest rate at 13.8 percent.
- The West remains at 11.6 percent
- The Midwest at 11.2 percent.
- The Northeast continues to have the lowest rate at 11.5 percent.
TON TEN STATES WITH HIGHEST POVERTY RATE, 2005 - 2006
| State, % People Below Poverty Level |
| 1. Mississippi |
21.1% |
| 2. District of Columbia |
19.6% |
| 3. Louisiana |
19.0% |
| 4. New Mexico |
18.5% |
| 5. Arkansas |
17.3% |
| 5. West Virginia |
17.3% |
| 7. Kentucky |
17.0% |
| 7. Oklahoma |
17.0% |
| 9. Texas |
16.9% |
| 10. Alabama |
16.6% |
U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006
CITIES (250,000 OR MORE) WITH THE HIGHEST POVERTY RATES
| City, State, % People Below Poverty Level |
| 1. Detroit, MI |
32.5% |
| 2. Buffalo, NY |
29.9% |
| 3. Cincinnati, OH |
27.8% |
| 4. Cleveland, OH |
27.0% |
| 5. Miami, FL |
26.9% |
| 5. St. Louis, MO |
26.8% |
| 7. El Paso, TX |
26.4% |
| 8. Milwaukee, WI |
26.2% |
| 9. Philadelphia, PA |
25.1% |
| 10. Newark, NJ |
24.2% |
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, August 2007
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