Poverty: A State of Extremes

New York was the only state where both poverty and income exceeded national levels in 2005, with 13.8% of residents living in poverty and a median household income of $49,480. This high poverty/high income paradox underscores a widening ‘wealth gap’ observed in New York and nationwide. Buffalo Niagara differed from the state in 2005, with a poverty rate (12.7%) close to the U.S. average and a median household income that was $4,000 below the U.S. median. Within the region, extreme disparities persisted between city and suburb. The City of Buffalo had a poverty rate nearly double the U.S. average and a much lower median income while its largest suburb, Amherst, had lower poverty and higher income than the U.S. Figures for Buffalo’s working-class suburbs of Cheektowaga and Tonawanda were the opposite of the state, with both poverty and income below U.S. levels