I was once one of those young people. Population: 10,695Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)Median Home Value: $78,700Unemployment Rate: 8.9%More on Darby: Data|Photos. John Weidenhammer at his company headquarters outside Reading, Pennsylvania, except when it comes to attracting talent. i'm not one to blame victims for social inequity, but unless that city's residents focus on bettering that place it'll only get worse. It's also creating partnerships with local companies like carpenter tech, a steel manufacturer still in the area. Just two years ago, Reading earned the dubious title of poorest city in the United States. Student Loan Forgiveness Update: What We Know About Bidens Newest Plan, Student Loan Pause Extended? We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Reading, PA is reported to be the poorest city in America, and we traveled there to speak to moms about what it's like to live there, and how it may influence their vote in the Presidential Election. Locals call this a mad ghetto. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Reading is an average sized town. It's another day or in this case night at a center where parents can bring their children at any hour of the day or night. Reading, Pa., Knew It Was Poor. Reading, Pa. was recently named the poorest city in America, according to recent census figures. My City Photos What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? Easy access to one of the regions major cultural centers hasnt done much of this town of 10,695 residents. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Homes are the 6th cheapest in the entire state where you can get a place for about $48,000, although in some of these streets, you could offer $4,000 and be taken seriously. There's no money. Were you surprised when the city, when that those numbers came out showing the city was the poorest in the country? The only place in the country where all the sports teams have the same colors, and where the fans actually know what the heck theyre talking about. McKees Rocks Aliquippa Again, this isn't a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Thats what the residents of Reading, Pennsylvaniathe nations poorest citywould like to know. Richest Cities And Poorest Cities In Every State In 2021 - Forbes All rights reserved. It's all part of our series called American Graduate. And I can tell them about the great jobs that are out there. The Poorest City in the Country: Reading, Pennsylvania Copyright 2011 NPR. To survive, she relies on a safety net of support. Fiume says for many of his low-income clients, getting a job isn't enough. Just like every other state, PA has its least desirable spots. She's worried about the cafeteria food that she receives for free, because usually "it's nasty." . The unemployment rate comes in at 8.9% and the median income sits at $49,292. Things in Allentown are so bad, they wrote a song about it. The unemployment rate here is 12.1%, the median income is just above the poverty line, and the crime is the 34th highest in the state. We understand theres a lot of good in every place. With 41.3% of its residents considered poor, Reading has passed Flint, Michigan (41.2%), a community ravaged by the decline of the American auto industry, as the worst of the worst-off in America. A rough economy weighs on the 6,619 residents, with a 14.6% unemployment rate and a median income of $37,282. There were long hospital stays and doctor visits, not to mention court appearances after her boyfriend broke her nose. She's been working in recent months at a part-time job, cleaning a beauty supply store at the mall to make ends meet. Yes, I knew it was coming. Flint, Mich. and Bloomington, Ind. I guess it was a lucky break.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Ah, the P.A. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What is sleep?" We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. So which cities have had it hardest? And he said, a republic, if you can keep it. no jobs! This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Boggs admits that she made some bad decisions in life and that her daughters' two fathers turned out to be unreliable. But now her job search is more difficult, because she has to hire a baby sitter if she gets called in for an interview, and funds are limited. And they do, coming and going from round-the-clock work shifts, school or another job search. Still, juggling four kids, school, and full-time work is "really tough," she says. Reading, Pennsylvania, Leads Nation's Cities in Poverty Rate - AllGov Is Reading PA the poorest city in America? Skip to Article Any man can change. Yet, despite the widespread decline in poverty rates, the percentage of the population living below the poverty line is unnerving in these cities, from a high of 35% in Detroit to a low of 26.2% in Waco, Texas. This is where you can go with this. Visit http://www.cafemom.com/momsmatter/ for more information on Moms Matter 2012 The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Wheres our 5th worst place to move to in the state of Pennsylvania? In a recent article we looked at the poverty rates across all 50 U.S. states. You got to move out? i guess not if you have a criminal record arm length but yet these people manage to buy drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. According to the. "It's almost like we've set up a system where we want people to stay dependent," he adds. Pennsylvania: Reading Concentrated poverty rate: 31.4% of poor pop. Crime had increased, and education rates had been incredibly low. Located along I-81 way out in the middle of nowhere, this is a place filled with drug use and poverty. I can go out there and I can talk to high school kids and parents about the degree or the programming that I offer. Odyssey follows three city residents as they struggle to make ends meet Reading was home to the first outlet malls in the 1970s. Tracy Boggs, 49, walks her daughter Emily, 7, to the Second Street Learning Center in Reading, Pa. Boggs is 49, soft-spoken, tired. we are poor. you have 20 year old men and women getting disability checks for depression and anxiety. Just released Census Bureau figures show Pennsylvanias poverty rate has climbed, rising to 13.4 percent in 2010 compared to 11.6 percent in 2007, when the recession first hit. See where we'll go next on our road trip - subscribe to Moms Matter 2012 YouTube channel NOW! We have to be honest about what is here now demographically in the city of Reading. Thats because there are rival gangs here. It is amazing when you actually get to see how products are made as simple as a Hershey Kiss nowadays. The unemployment rate comes in at 10.0% and the median income sits at $41,167. And we're having to scramble for some of the dollars that are left. What are the 2 types of temperature sensor? See richest, poorest U.S. cities and counties based on new - mlive http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=momsmatter2012Mom Matter 2012 is a nonpartisan platform organized by CafeMom.com. She wasn't having much luck to begin with. i don't want this job,im just hear cuz welfare is making me look for a job,and when the coca cola employee tries to report the guy,nothing is done,welfare has destroyed my city.the majority of the people that live there are leeches that want to do nothing but consume and make babies like a conveyor belt at a cabbage patch factory. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Forty-one percent of the city's residents live below the poverty line; good-paying work is scarce as factories and other plants continue to shutter in a flagging economy. You have a 1 in 33.3 chance of being robbed here every year. Dont make it 19,000 and 1. One city\\'s struggle to regain its economic footing is also tied to significant problems in its schools. Is Reading, PA a nice place to live? THOMAS MCMAHON: Thank you. And she worries about taking it on the highway. Even the elementary schools have metal detectors in em. Is Reading PA the poorest city in America? - Sage-Answer Flint, Mich. and Bloomington, Ind. Reading, PA is reported to be the poorest city in America, and we traveled there to speak to moms about what it's like to live there, and how it may influenc. Now, the information technology company has more than 200 employees in seven cities across the country, with clients spanning the globe. Steel and textile mills set up shop here and ushered in a prosperous era for the city. The unemployment rate stands at 9.2% and the community suffers a 31.3% poverty rate. Police officers and firefighters god bless them hand out food here to the growing number of poverty stricken folks. It's just getting more difficult for a lot of families to make ends meet. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I'm Michele Norris. The Amish spread out across North America, including New York, the Midwest, as well as Ontario, Canada. i work very hard for a small salary and can barely afford my less then 400.00/month mortgage. It's not cool to do good in school.". His employees started developing software for what would become a mainstay in the business world. And if a person has access to quality education, completes education, it's less likely that the person is going to fall into poverty. Or if you're simply not interested in reading about crime and blight, and you don't care about this list, check out: Cheapest Cities To Live In America This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The city of Reading dropout rate is significantly high. How do you find your elevation? It can be a vicious cycle playing out here in Reading and in older industrial cities all over the country. Largely because of the inequities that come with funding schools based on local property taxes . The modern economy has been less kind to the area. The poorest city in America At the start of the play, Reading is among the poorest cities in the country. Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and see how your city fared in 2021. Pennsylvania might be one of the most interesting and unique states in the nation. Where is the highest elevation in the United States? what i am not ok with is the fact that people who apply for welfare and social security do not have to take a drug test to get on it, nor must they comply with random drug tests to remain on it, like we do at my company. Dana Systems, which also created truck bodies, car bodies, they consolidated their operations to the Midwest. The lives of those who use the Second Street Learning Center, run by the nonprofit Opportunity House, say a lot about what it means to be struggling and poor in America. With 41.3% of its residents considered poor, Reading has passed Flint, Michigan (41.2%), a community ravaged by the decline of the American auto industry, as the worst of the worst-off in America. From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. About halfway between Allentown and Lancaster (lankuster) is the community of Reading. And a lot of employers are now cracking down, that you can't even take the time to take care of your family," she says. She owns an old car with 81,000 miles on it and a growing list of problems. Bonnie Spayd directs a high-tech training program at Reading Area Community College, its goal, to tailor learning to the needs of local companies, even ones you might not think of as high-tech, like Hershey's. Reading, Pennsylvania: Poverty and Success - The Atlantic Support Intelligent, In-Depth, Trustworthy Journalism. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day, Readings poverty rate in the 2018 five-year American Community Survey showed that 35.4% of the citys residents were below the poverty line, or less than the infamous 41.3% from 2011, when Reading was declared the poorest small city in the nation.. To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things. Pam Fessler/NPR Poverty in America: 50 of the US cities hardest hit by poverty - USA TODAY Meaning, you have to be joking, right? But as factories shut down or moved away, he had to adapt. Sept. 29, 2011 BLOCK: What do you think it would take for Reading, Pennsylvania, to turn a corner for this poverty right now, the highest in the country, to change? U.S. Census shows Reading, Pa., is America's most poverty stricken city. Race and Ethnicity 67% of the people in Reading, PA are hispanic (59.1k people). Good-paying work is scarce as factories. During my recent visit to Reading, the companys CEO, John Weidenhammer, talked about how he was able to build his company at a time when his hometown was falling into decline. hide caption. And just recently, we had Baldwin Hardware, which is combined with Stanley Tool, and they've announced that they will be leaving, although there are still some people in the city that are working for them. Gonzales would like her children to go to better schools. Cycle Of Poverty Hard To Break In Poorest U.S. City : NPR Chester, PA needs a big hug right now. People remaining living in the city that haven't, quote-unquote, "chased the American dream" of moving out, they have stayed and, sometimes we've had to increase property taxes to be able to pay for essential services. The 10 Worst Places To Live In Pennsylvania For 2021 McKeesport Duquesne Clairton McKees Rocks Reading Chester Darby Hazleton Lehighton Allentown What? Weidenhammer seized the opportunity. It served as the hometown for characters in the The Deer Hunter, which won the 1978 Best Picture Oscar. But we want to tell them that you do need that diploma. Virginia Beach, with a population of close to 440,000, is another good exception, with only 7.3% of its population living below the poverty line, down from 8.3% five years ago. This is our seventh time ranking the worst places to live in Pennsylvania. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Reading is 1 in 36. "I think it makes it hard for them to do good in school. Clairton had a moment of Hollywood fame in the 1970s. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. You want your job, or you want your family?" With 41.3 percent of its residents living below the poverty line, Reading, Pa., is the poorest U.S. city with a population of 65,000 or more. To find high-skilled employees, Weidenhammer had to expand his search beyond Reading, where only eight percent of adults older than 25 have college degrees. This is a BETA experience. If it was just me, I would have [given] up a long time ago.". There's plenty of organized activity, computer training and homework help. But, before that, were you into school, or you didn't care much about school, or. DELORIS REVIERE, Olivet Boys and Girls Club: No. Using this website you can find out your elevation no matter where you are. very poor. But when she got her certificate in December and started to look for work, she realized there were no job openings in Reading. Where are the lower elevations of Pennsylvania located? Jeffrey Brown reports from Reading, Pa., as part of . Today, though, Reading is a different sort of symbol, as a new census reckoning makes it the poorest city in the nation. "[My] motivation is probably the kids and setting a good example for them so they can never say 'My Mom didn't do it, so why should I do it?' Theres a reason people call it Disease Port. At one point it was the poorest city in the nation. Dont freak out we updated this article for 2021. Money for new programs that might help in and after school is hard to come by. hide caption. The lowest point is the Badwater Basin, 281ft below sea level. The site receives GPS data from your phone. Now, using data from the U.S. Census Bureaus 2019 and 2014 American Community Survey, Five-Year Estimates, weve analyzed all major American cities (those with populations of at least 100,000) in terms of the percentage of their populations living below the poverty line. And the drive to Pittsburgh is bleak, sad and depressing. All rights reserved. What's happened over the last decade? It's clean and bright inside the center. It's tough breaking that cycle and complicated, when lives are a messy combination of bad luck and bad choices. Given these challenges, its no surprise that 23.4% of the 5,304 residents live below the poverty line. Even with these issues, there are bright spots in town. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. And the companies that might look to move here see a work force that isn't ready for many of today's workplace needs. It's a number that weighs heavily on Reading's mayor, Thomas McMahon, who joins me now. Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. July 12, 2012 A nonprofit that helps low-income families in Eugene, Ore., recycles mattresses to help bring in money. Furthermore, only cities with at least 5,000 people were considered leaving 170 cities. 12 Achievers after the Age of 80, Should the Bible be Banned: 6 Incestuous Couples of the Bible, DeSantis to Ship Florida Floodwaters to Democratic States, Munich Memorial TributeSome Words from David Wallechinsky, Biden Gives Go-Ahead for Friendly Dictators to Murder Opponents. "They basically give you a choice. The lights are dim. As Poorest U.S. City, Reading Also Struggling With High Dropout Rate - PBS Is that right? But then, after several weeks, Lebo lost her child care subsidy from the state, and she had to remove her kids from day care. Melissa Block speaks with Reading, Pa., Mayor Thomas McMahon about the recent U.S. Census Poverty Report that ranks Reading as the city with the highest rate of residents living in poverty. The factory owner agreed to the arrangement because he trusted Weidenhammer and they had a good working relationship. Built along the west bank of the Monongahela River, Duquesne serves as a suburb of Pittsburgh. Ten years ago, the economic situation was already trending downward in Reading. Located in Forbes State Forest , Somerset County and about five miles northwest of Salisbury , Mount Davis rises 3,213 feet above sea level. Jeffrey Brown reports from Reading, Pa., as part of our American Graduate series. Lower education generally means higher poverty. it doesn't. This access to a major metropolitan area provides one of the main draws for the town. Young people see jobs leaving town and decide there's little point in getting an education. Last year, it appeared that the city might be turning things around, but new poverty statistics. That includes the gorgeous mountain views. William Bender is a professor at nearby Kutztown University and serves on the mayor's poverty commission. Once a booming automotive town, Flint has seen its share of crises since the 1980s. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. As you travel on old US Route 22 through Berks/Reading, youll come upon a roadside marker with a unique story. So she let him back home. Reading's concentrated poverty rate is the highest in Pennsylvania Some of them live in the parts of the city where it's tough. The crime rate runs about 90% above the U.S. norm. You started by telling me you made you made some bad decisions early on leaving school. We understand there's a lot of good in every place. Only 8 percent of Reading residents have a bachelor's degree, and 63 percent have a high school diploma. [13] Reading's poverty rate in the five-year American Community Survey, published in 2018, showed that 35.4% of the city's residents were below the poverty line, or less "than the infamous 41.3% from 2011, when Reading was declared the poorest small city in the nation." [14] This city is poor. What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed? To avoid bankruptcy, Reading is operating under a strict financial plan with the state which calls for property tax hikes, pay freezes and budget cutbacks. Having said that, a number of our young people are just coming from other countries, and so their ability to speak English may not be to the point that we need that to be. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-banner-1-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'roadsnacks_net-banner-1','ezslot_2',604,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-banner-1-0'); Its very poor and theres VERY little opportunities for work. And before you get all riled up and say we're picking on small town America, that's not the case. READING, Penn.For many people living in Americas poorest cities, success is elusive. Theres about 19,000 people here. Among the metro area's poor population, 28.1 percent live in neighborhoods where four out of 10 residents live in poverty, the analysis found. You can't just change something overnight. live in poor neighborhoods Overall poverty rate: 12.8% (state: 12.5%) Neighborhoods with concentrated poverty: 10 . Reading Station (Image: ThamesValleyPolice), Cheapside and West Street 40. Embed odysseynetworks 2499 views 10 years ago Reading, Pa. was recently named the poorest city in America, according to recent census figures. And the worst place to live in Pennsylvania? Population: 24,857Rank Last Year: 36 (Up 28)Median Home Value: $97,900Unemployment Rate: 8.2%More on Hazleton: Data|Photos. this goes without mention of those who are almost able to qualify for programs that could help. Thanks for having me. With a poverty rate of 41.3 percent, Reading has been labeled the nation's poorest city with a population of 65,000 or more. The richest city in America? You have to keep wanting it and keep going for it and keep trying to do it. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Weidenhammer Systems Corporation started off in a rented room in a Reading home 40 years ago. Located a half hour southeast of Pittsburgh, Clairton does have some good points. Forty-five years now. Reading ranked 2nd in poorest American cities - WFMZ July 11, 2012 Poverty among single mothers is an astounding 66 percent in Reading, Pa., where Jennifer Stepp is raising three children by herself. Source: 2010 Census, 2006-2010 American Community Survey, Credit: Stephanie d'Otreppe, Nicole Cohen, JoElla Straley, Hansi Lo Wang/NPR. As the economy slowly recovers, many here are being left behind. July 10, 2012 Tens of millions of Americans are still struggling, despite the slow economic recovery. All Rights Reserved. But, again, it's often one step forward, two steps back. Everybody is getting laid off. Is Reading, PA the poorest city in America? - Ufoscience.org She recently graduated from nursing school and now works full time in a nursing home. You hear that a lot around the learning center: hope that things will get better if you just keep plugging away, despite the bad times. But so far, she's had no luck landing a job. Oh yeah, and they had 22 murders a couple of years back. If you want these types of people and you want to get these kids engaged, you need to get a little bit of skin in the game. Its funding model is inspiring other nonprofits to start salvaging junk to support services for the poor. School Funding Inequity Forces Poor Cities Like Reading, Pa., To Take Poverty In America: The Struggle To Get Ahead : NPR All the jobs were far outside the city. Faces of Poverty: Life at the Breaking Point - Inspirational Videos The area once thrived, thanks to strong steel and railroad industries. Relative to Pennsylvania, Reading has a crime rate that is higher than 93% of the states cities and towns of all sizes. Commonwealth Foundation 2023Privacy Policy, poverty has been rising in Pennylvania since 2000. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. There are some draws to the area. Reading poverty: City didn't deserve the 'poorest city' title This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Most dangerous place in Reading Trafford Road 100. Of course we always can. RoadSnacks is reader-supported. The famous Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company would become one of the largest corporations in the country in the 1870s. MANNY SOSTRE, Olivet Boys and Girls Club: You see all the businesses leaving and stuff closing down. It might be the worst city in all of northeastern PA. Everybody's they have they don't know what to do. There was a time when Reading was among the most prosperous towns in America, thanks to the onset of the Industrial Revolution. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. It's allegedly the poorest city in America, but it certainly doesn't look like it. The city was founded by German immigrants in a river valley about an hour northwest of Philadelphia, and has long attracted people seeking jobs and a better life. We need more young people to want to work with their hands, to want to be smart, to have really, really great math aptitude. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year EstimatesPennsylvania. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_S1701&prodType=table. Reading, Pennsylvania: Poorest U.S. City Loses Pre - HuffPost Can you work with us as an employer? During Readings peak in the 1930s, more than 110,000 people lived there. And state budget constraints recently prompted the governor to cut K-12 education spending by $900 million statewide, $17 million from the Reading school budget. When the owner offered him the position, he instead negotiated for something else: The company became the first client of his fledgling IT company. It was very difficult. California has 11 of the 20 most-affluent cities in the nation, while Florida and Ohio each have four cities on the list of the 20 poorest cities, based on an analysis of 2016 median. Spayd's new plan is to connect businesses directly with area high schools. Chester is right along the Delaware river, south of Philly. 7 Takeaways On Bidens Updated Student Debt Relief, How You Can Improve Your Mental Health In Retirement: Three Big Tips, What To Know If You May Be In A Common Law Marriage, Why You Should Think Twice About Online Travel Deals: 4 Proven Ways To Avoid Scams. And if you dont like gangs, then you wouldnt like McKeesport. Darby exists as a suburb of Philadelphia, about 20 minutes southwest of the city center. Crime also sits slightly above the national average. Now It Knows Just How Poor. hide caption. How tall is the highest peak in Pennsylvania? However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Becoming nationally known as the poorest city in the country left Reading with an even worse reputation.
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