A Texas metropolis has the highest poverty rate among all cities in America, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
In 2024, 21.1 percent of residents in Houston lived at or below the federal poverty line.
This is more than double the national poverty rate of the US, at 10.6 per cent, according to census data.
Daniel Potter, who leads the Houston Population Research Center at the Kinder Institute, explained to ABC 13 that the issue isn’t the number of jobs available, but rather the scarcity of well-paying ones.
Potter stated: ‘There’s a lack of jobs that offer salaries between $100,000 and $150,000. We’re not talking about entry-level roles here.’
‘These are your mid-career. These are positions that oftentimes people are working towards.’
This year, a research conducted by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research revealed that the gap in homeownership is widening in Houston and Harris County, with land prices surpassing wage increases.
Houston, Texas, has the highest poverty rate among all cities, according to data from the US Census Bureau
A homeless man panhandles at I-69 and Weslayan Street in Houston in January this year
In 2024, 21.1% of Houston’s population lived at or below the national poverty threshold. Pictured: Homeless outreach teams working in Houston, December 2024.
The study also found that significant rent increases have added roughly 15,000 new cost-burdened renters in the year.
More than half of Houstonians are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, according to ABC.
“When I allocate half of my earnings just for housing, it leaves very little for essentials like food, utilities, and insurance,” Potter commented.
He continued: “It’s important we focus on creating living wage jobs because we have residents working here. Ensuring they have access to these opportunities is crucial.”
The director also highlighted that Houston’s poverty rate has decreased from 15 years ago, when he stated that it was about one in four people in the city who were living in poverty.
On July 9, Houston Mayor John Whitmire discussed his plan for addressing homelessness in the city.
‘There’s no doubt about it, a solution to the homeless conditions is a top priority, it’s one of the reasons I listed for running office, certainly for the mayor’s office, and I know all of us share that.
‘We’ve made progress, this is just going to be another tool in the kit if the council approves it to where we can encourage individuals to get out of the elements to get healthcare, food and a bed that are not receiving it.
There are a total of 3,325 people experiencing homelessness in Houston
Of those people, 1,282 live unsheltered a 15.8 per cent increase from 2024 and 2,043 are staying in shelters a 6 percent decrease from the year before
‘It’s just wrong for people to live in those conditions, and it’s wrong for the public to have to engage this population in public spaces.’
There are a total of 3,325 people experiencing homelessness in Houston, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County.
Of those people, 1,282 live unsheltered – a 15.8 per cent increase from 2024 – and 2,043 are staying in shelters, which is a 6 percent decrease from the year before.
While Houston suffers from poverty, a suburb on the outskirts was recently rated the hottest zip code in the US.
Cypress, Texas was ranked number one in the most popular zip codes for new residents in 2025, according to a report by Moving Place.
It is home to more than 200,000 people and is about 30 minutes away from Houston. Cypress welcomed 3,636 movers from May to January this year.
