The 10 Poorest Cities In Pennsylvania For 2023


The poorest places in Pennsylvania are Shamokin and Johnstown for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Pennsylvania has certain places that are going on hard times. These Pennsylvania places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Pennsylvania.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 189 cities in Pennsylvania with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the ten poorest places in Pennsylvania for 2023:

  1. Shamokin
  2. Johnstown
  3. McKees Rocks
  4. Beaver Falls
  5. Chester
  6. McKeesport
  7. Indiana
  8. Aliquippa
  9. Corry
  10. Reading

What’s the poorest city in Pennsylvania? According to the facts, Shamokin is the poorest place in Pennsylvania for 2023.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Pennsylvania For 2023

1. Shamokin

Shamokin, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,981
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $30,711 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.7% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,422
More on Shamokin: Data | Cost Of Living

Shamokin, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Pennsylvania thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 6,981 people averages the lowest median household income in Pennsylvania and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Johnstown

Johnstown, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Greg Hume | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 18,647
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $31,200 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.7% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 6,284
More on Johnstown: Data | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Pennsylvania is Johnstown.

The city ranks as having the 3rd highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 3highest in the Keystone State.

3. McKees Rocks

Mckees Rocks, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Lee Paxton | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,930
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Income: $32,800 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.7% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,818
More on Mckees Rocks: Data | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, McKees Rocks’s median income ranks as the 5th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 30.671256454388985% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Keystone State.

4. Beaver Falls

Beaver Falls, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,069
Rank Last Year: 20 (Up 16)
Median Income: $34,640 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.1% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,819
More on Beaver Falls: Data | Cost Of Living

Beaver Falls ranks as the fourth poorest place in Pennsylvania.

The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Chester

Chester, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 32,819
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Income: $35,751 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.5% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 9,367
More on Chester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Pennsylvania is Chester.

The city ranks as having the 10th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 8th highest in Pennsylvania.

Still not the best news for Chester.

6. McKeesport

Mckeesport, PA

Source: Wikipedia User David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,935
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $32,042 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.4% (17th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,916
More on Mckeesport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

McKeesport ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Keystone State.

It ranks as having the 17th highest incidence of poverty and the 40th highest unemployment rate.

7. Indiana

Indiana, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Scsmatt | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 13,573
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $34,724 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.2% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,831
More on Indiana: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Indiana places as the seventh poorest city in Pennsylvania.

The city of over 13,573 ranks as having the 13th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Aliquippa

Aliquippa, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,237
Rank Last Year: 21 (Up 13)
Median Income: $35,688 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.9% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,579
More on Aliquippa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Aliquippa ranks as the eighth poorest city in Pennsylvania.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 58th highest in the state.

9. Corry

Corry, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Niagara | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,251
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 15)
Median Income: $37,192 (17th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.3% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,772
More on Corry: Data | Cost Of Living

Corry couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Pennsylvania; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 17th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Corry ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Pennsylvania.

10. Reading

Reading, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Flickr upload bot | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 94,161
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $38,738 (23rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.3% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 27,633
More on Reading: Data | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Pennsylvania is Reading.

The city of 94,161 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Keystone State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Pennsylvania for 2023

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 189 places with more than 5,000 people in Pennsylvania, we ranked each place from 1 to 189 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Shamokin, crowned the “Poorest Place In Pennsylvania For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Pennsylvania.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Pennsylvania For 2023

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Pennsylvania, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Pennsylvania.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Pennsylvania, according to data:

    Richest: Fox Chapel
    2nd Richest: Franklin Park
    3rd Richest: Conshohocken

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Pennsylvania

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Shamokin 6,981 34.7% $30,711 2,422
2 Johnstown 18,647 33.7% $31,200 6,284
3 McKees Rocks 5,930 30.7% $32,800 1,818
4 Beaver Falls 9,069 31.1% $34,640 2,819
5 Chester 32,819 28.5% $35,751 9,367
6 McKeesport 17,935 27.4% $32,042 4,916
7 Indiana 13,573 28.2% $34,724 3,831
8 Aliquippa 9,237 27.9% $35,688 2,579
9 Corry 6,251 28.3% $37,192 1,772
10 Reading 94,161 29.3% $38,738 27,633
11 Duquesne 5,280 28.3% $37,478 1,491
12 Uniontown 9,988 24.8% $32,016 2,477
13 Turtle Creek 5,136 27.4% $36,132 1,407
14 Lewi 8,513 25.8% $34,423 2,194
15 Bradford 7,913 28.4% $38,284 2,248
16 York 44,692 28.7% $39,764 12,823
17 New Castle 21,992 26.2% $36,595 5,755
18 Lock Haven 8,458 26.9% $37,662 2,274
19 State College 40,352 43.4% $43,015 17,514
20 Edinboro 5,097 24.7% $36,695 1,257
21 Butler 13,452 23.8% $36,570 3,208
22 Bloomsburg 12,850 28.1% $41,540 3,610
23 Sharon 13,203 23.1% $35,814 3,044
24 Pittston 7,589 26.2% $40,180 1,986
25 Titusville 5,314 22.7% $36,111 1,205
26 Punxsutawney 5,793 24.1% $39,658 1,395
27 Erie 95,536 24.7% $40,201 23,643
28 Harrisburg 49,969 28.2% $44,444 14,112
29 Lebanon 26,611 25.3% $42,382 6,725
30 Wilkinsburg 14,492 23.4% $39,793 3,395
31 West Hazleton 5,076 27.0% $44,114 1,369
32 Hazleton 29,339 23.6% $40,782 6,920
33 Sunbury 9,729 19.8% $37,851 1,929
34 California 5,628 23.3% $42,879 1,309
35 Clairton 6,245 19.5% $37,544 1,218
36 Pottsville 13,413 20.6% $40,275 2,764
37 New Kensington 12,222 22.9% $43,308 2,799
38 New Brighton 5,743 20.6% $41,281 1,182
39 Williamsport 27,908 24.4% $45,060 6,816
40 Wilkes-Barre 44,086 20.4% $42,430 8,984
41 Meadville 12,999 19.6% $40,694 2,550
42 Jeannette 8,835 20.7% $43,948 1,830
43 Mount Carmel 5,740 19.1% $39,976 1,095
44 Carbondale 8,828 26.7% $47,718 2,352
45 Darby 10,688 27.7% $51,388 2,962
46 Lewisburg 5,336 16.7% $38,948 892
47 Scranton 75,987 20.1% $44,161 15,270
48 Coatesville 13,306 26.8% $51,130 3,569
49 Collingdale 8,857 22.2% $45,565 1,968
50 Berwick 10,355 19.2% $43,750 1,990
51 Lehighton 5,267 23.2% $46,939 1,220
52 Allentown 125,250 23.3% $47,703 29,167
53 Washington 13,322 19.6% $45,049 2,607
54 Altoona 44,114 20.3% $46,010 8,941
55 Tamaqua 6,940 20.1% $46,423 1,397
56 Oil City 9,685 16.5% $44,272 1,601
57 Connellsville 7,092 16.8% $44,505 1,194
58 Vandergrift 5,065 19.4% $45,655 984
59 Monessen 6,941 17.9% $45,298 1,243
60 Clearfield 5,991 20.2% $48,116 1,213
61 Steelton 6,217 18.3% $45,599 1,138
62 Philadelphia 1,596,865 22.8% $52,649 364,377
63 Plymouth 5,765 14.2% $42,895 820
64 Columbia 10,243 16.3% $45,507 1,668
65 Nanticoke 10,588 17.4% $49,937 1,837
66 Tyrone 5,473 13.9% $44,788 763
67 Somerset 6,059 14.4% $45,238 873
68 Sayre 5,484 12.8% $44,413 701
69 Greensburg 14,982 15.9% $49,529 2,380
70 Pittsburgh 303,207 19.7% $54,306 59,836
71 Kingston 13,304 16.2% $51,539 2,153
72 Lancaster 58,034 19.1% $54,145 11,113
73 Shippensburg 5,668 12.7% $45,219 720
74 DuBois 7,548 14.4% $48,313 1,085
75 Munhall 10,827 12.3% $45,214 1,335
76 Middl 9,469 16.2% $52,716 1,536
77 Carlisle 19,869 15.5% $52,098 3,076
78 Warren 9,363 12.9% $46,053 1,210
79 Franklin 6,128 16.4% $53,289 1,003
80 Taylor 6,281 18.1% $54,886 1,138
81 Clifton Heights 6,806 16.0% $52,955 1,088
82 Waynesboro 10,871 14.5% $51,925 1,572
83 Chambersburg 22,141 13.5% $48,323 2,985
84 Millersville 7,698 23.4% $64,432 1,803
85 Pott 23,282 15.4% $52,722 3,577
86 Milton 6,641 12.7% $47,560 843
87 Norri 35,607 17.1% $55,354 6,098
88 Ambridge 6,959 12.2% $46,367 851
89 Monaca 5,622 13.3% $51,086 747
90 Greenville 5,578 13.4% $51,719 745
91 Oxford 5,671 18.4% $58,125 1,040
92 Huntingdon 6,851 14.7% $53,801 1,004
93 Folcroft 6,738 15.7% $55,039 1,059
94 West Chester 18,592 22.1% $65,027 4,114
95 Easton 27,860 17.6% $58,243 4,906
96 Bethlehem 75,599 16.8% $58,232 12,689
97 Nazareth 6,016 13.5% $53,476 811
98 Gettysburg 7,423 10.7% $47,609 794
99 Palmyra 7,750 14.8% $56,124 1,147
100 Swissvale 8,645 12.8% $52,665 1,104
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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