US | poverty America's 7 Poorest Cities The poorest has a nearly 50% poverty rate By Newser Editors Posted May 10, 2016 4:48 PM CDT Copied Shoppers wait for the opening of the Best Buy store in Benton Harbor, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) You need to make $125,000 a year to hang in America's richest city, but America's poorest places are a far, far cry from that kind of money. 24/7 Wall Street looked at the median household income, median home value, percentage of adults with at minimum a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate to rank the poorest municipalities in the nation—the poorest of which has a poverty rate of nearly 50%. Without further ado: Macon, Miss.—The nation's poorest town has a 49.9% poverty rate; the median household income in Macon comes in at $18,232 and 7.7% have a bachelor's degree. Benton Harbor, Mich.—A 47.4% poverty rate; the median home value is $47,400 and just 4.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree. East St. Louis, Ill.—Boasts a 45.4% poverty rate and the median household income clocks in at $19,856. Muskegon Heights, Mich.—Holds a 44.5% poverty rate, a median home value of $45,600, and about 8% of the population has a four-year degree. East Cleveland, Ohio—A 42.1% poverty rate and a median household income of $20,660. Thomson, Ga.—A 38.3% poverty rate and a median household income of $21,211. New Tazewell, Tenn.—A 43.8% poverty rate and a median household income of $21,265. Click for the complete list. Read These Next Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Report an error