Pittsburgh’s poverty rate rose slightly last year despite declines across Pennsylvania and the nation, per U.S. Census data released in early September.
Why it matters: Low-income households are already facing weaker federal safety nets — from looming Medicaid cuts to stricter SNAP rules — as rising grocery and utility prices push family budgets to the brink.
- Poverty often blocks paths to education and work, locking people into cycles of hardship and disproportionately affecting people of color.
State of play: Poverty ticked up to 20.1% of Pittsburgh’s population in 2024, up from 19.9% the year prior, per Census data.
- That’s about 57,000 residents living below the poverty line.
How it works: The poverty threshold is about $32,000 for a family of four.
The big picture: Pittsburgh’s poverty rate has fluctuated slightly over the past 10 years, holding near 1 in 5 people, but it remains below its 20-year peak of 23.8% in 2014 as the city worked to shed its financially distressed status…