US / poverty America's 7 Poorest Cities The poorest has a nearly 50% poverty rate By Newser Editors, Newser Staff Posted May 10, 2016 4:48 PM CDT Copied Shoppers wait for the opening of the Best Buy store in Benton Harbor, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) You need to make $125,000 a year to hang in America's richest city, but America's poorest places are a far, far cry from that kind of money. 24/7 Wall Street looked at the median household income, median home value, percentage of adults with at minimum a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate to rank the poorest municipalities in the nation—the poorest of which has a poverty rate of nearly 50%. Without further ado: Macon, Miss.—The nation's poorest town has a 49.9% poverty rate; the median household income in Macon comes in at $18,232 and 7.7% have a bachelor's degree. Benton Harbor, Mich.—A 47.4% poverty rate; the median home value is $47,400 and just 4.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree. East St. Louis, Ill.—Boasts a 45.4% poverty rate and the median household income clocks in at $19,856. Muskegon Heights, Mich.—Holds a 44.5% poverty rate, a median home value of $45,600, and about 8% of the population has a four-year degree. East Cleveland, Ohio—A 42.1% poverty rate and a median household income of $20,660. Thomson, Ga.—A 38.3% poverty rate and a median household income of $21,211. New Tazewell, Tenn.—A 43.8% poverty rate and a median household income of $21,265. Click for the complete list. (More poverty stories.) Report an error