Philadelphia reclaims title as poorest big city in America

State of play: The city's poverty rate increased for the first time in more than a decade, per the American Community Survey's 2025 one-year estimates.

• Meanwhile, rates declined in other big cities, like Houston, Texas, and New York.

Flashback: Last year, Houston had the highest poverty rate among the nation's most populous cities (21.2%), with Philly sliding into the second spot (19.7%).

Worth noting: Poverty is one of Philly's biggest challenges, along with homelessness, which declined last year as more people took advantage of city emergency shelters, safe havens and transitional housing.

Zoom out: The national poverty rate declined to 11.8% last year. Behind Philly, big cities with the highest poverty rates included:

• NYC: 17.7%
• Houston: 17.7%
• Chicago: 17.1%
• San Antonio: 15.6%