Locally, Philadelphia and Camden still have some of the nation's highest poverty rates - and nearby counties some of the lowest.
According to the census data, 25.1 percent of Philadelphians lived in poverty last year. That figure, essentially unchanged from 2005, is ninth-worst among cities with populations of 250,000 or more. Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, El Paso, Miami, Milwaukee and St. Louis have higher percentages of poor residents.
And Philadelphia continues to have the highest poverty rate of the nation's 10 largest cities.
The economic well-being of its citizens has a direct impact on the city's crime rate, Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Nutter said yesterday. Poverty can be addressed only by focusing on education, economic development, and jobs for prisoners reentering society, he said.
Until then, Nutter said, "we're going to continue to have this poverty condition be one of the main stories of this city."
Republican candidate Al Taubenberger said that one answer was for a mayor to serve as "the city's chief salesman" in attracting jobs.
Camden, with 35.6 percent of residents living in poverty, had the third-highest rate for cities with populations between 65,000 and 250,000, trailing Brownsville and College Station, both in Texas.
In contrast, Bucks County's 4.6 percent poverty rate was one of the lowest in the country. Only seven of the nation's largest counties (those with populations of 250,000 and up) had a lower number.
Other area counties with very low poverty include Montgomery County at 5.7 percent and Burlington County at 5.9 percent.
The region's economic differences were vividly reflected in median household income as well.
Among the 783 counties surveyed, Philadelphia ranked 750th on the income scale, with a median of $33,229.
