1 in 5 Bostonians Live in Poverty
According to numbers from the U.S. Census, 21.2 percent of people in Boston live below the poverty level. See how our city compares.
In the United States, the poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, according to the U.S. Census. That number was up from 14.3 percent in 2009 and 12.5 percent in 2007. Boston's poverty rate is higher than the national average, by a considerable amount. Also, the percentage of people living in poverty in Boston is greater than the statewide average, which is 10.5 percent. The U.S. Census uses a number of "thresholds" to measure poverty, which you can find here. In the example given by the U.S. Census, using 2010 numbers, a family of five, with a mother, father, great aunt and two children living in the household, would be considered living in poverty if the family income were $26,675 or less. How does Boston compare to other communities in …
