A fact sheet from April 2019
Lexey Swall The State of Philadelphians Living in Poverty, 2019
Overview Nearly 400,000 Philadelphia residents—roughly 26 percent of the city’s population—lived below the poverty line in 2017. And that percentage, which is among the highest for any American city, has not changed substantially in recent years, even as the national rate has fallen.
As highlighted in Pew’s 2018 report “Philadelphia’s Poor: Experiences From Below the Poverty Line,” this is about more than money. It affects health outcomes, employment prospects, exposure to crime, and access to quality schools. Poverty and Deep Poverty in Philadelphia, 2007-17
30% 2 9 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 1 2 0 25% 2 2 Poverty rate 20%
1 0 15% 1 1 1 12 12 2 12 12 2 12 11 1 11 1 12 0 10% Deep poverty rate 5%
0% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Philadelphia’s poverty rate, down from a high of 28.4 percent in 2011, has remained essentially unchanged over the past five years. And the city’s deep poverty rate—measuring households with incomes no more than half of the federal poverty threshold—increased in 2017. A household of four was living in poverty in 2017 if its income was $24,600 or less and in deep poverty at $12,300 or less.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, one-year estimates, 2007-17, Table B17002 (Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months), http://factfinder.census.gov © 2019 The Pew Charitable Trusts Public Benefit Enrollment Trends in Philadelphia, 2007-17
700,000 1 , 600,000 29, 9 2 , , 91 9 ,0 1 ,1 9, 1 1, 1 , 0 500,000 Medical Assistance 1 , 1 21, 0 400,000
300,000 Supplemental Security Income 200,000 9 , 2 101, 1 10 ,1 112,0 109, 2 10 ,209 100,000 99, 10 , 111,2 110, 10 ,1 0 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Philadelphians’ enrollment in Medical Assistance, or Medicaid—the federal-state program that helps low-income individuals and families pay for health care—has grown dramatically after the 2015 expansion of eligibility in Pennsylvania under the Affordable Care Act. Supplemental Security Income benefits are available to disabled individuals or those 65 or older who have limited income and resources. Ninety-two percent of Philadelphians enrolled for Supplemental Security Income qualified for it because of a disability.
Notes: Enrollment data for Medical Assistance are from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (http://listserv.dpw.state.pa.us/ma- food-stamps-and-cash-stats.html), and Supplemental Security Income data are from the Social Security Administration (https://www.ssa. gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2017/index.html). Numbers represent enrollment for the month of December for each calendar year. Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services; Social Security Administration © 2019 The Pew Charitable Trusts Percentage of Philadelphians Living Below the Federal Poverty Line
19116
19154 19115
19150 19114 19118 19111 19152 19138 19126 19119 19128 19136 19141 19149 19144 19120 19135 19127 19124 19129 19140
19132 19137 19133 19134 19131 19121 19122 19151 19125 19130 19123 19139 19104 19102 19103 19106 19107 19143 19146 19147
19142 Less than 15 percent 19145 19148 15-29 percent 30-44 percent
19153 19112 45 percent or more Insucient data/nonresidential
Poverty in Philadelphia is widespread, with the highest concentrations found primarily in parts of North and West Philadelphia. In some areas, including much of North Philadelphia, the poverty rate is over 45 percent; in most of the city’s residential ZIP codes, it is over 20 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, five-year estimates, 2013-17, Table S1701 (Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months), http://factfinder.census.gov © 2019 The Pew Charitable Trusts Contact: Elizabeth Lowe, communications officer Email: [email protected] Project website: pewtrusts.org/philaresearch
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