Cleveland Named Poorest Big City - 51% Black
Crushed by the loss of steel and other manufacturing jobs, Cleveland has ranked high for poverty before - but never No. 1. That changed when a report from the U.S. Census Bureau recently rated it has the nation's poorest big city, putting it ahead of Detroit, Miami and Newark, N.J. "To be ranked No. 1, that's bad," said Councilman Zachary Reed. "Let's be honest, the fact is people in our community are living in poverty and just making it day to day." The unwanted distinction is the latest in a litany of struggles for Cleveland, which appeared to be on the rebound over the past decade, with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Jacobs Field and Gund Arena.With a poverty rate of 31.3 percent in 2003, Cleveland stands out even in Ohio: Cincinnati's was 21.1 percent, Toledo 20.3 percent and Columbus 16.5 percent. The overall poverty rate in the United States was 12.7 percent, according to the survey released Aug. 26. Cleveland has a 12.2 percent unemployment rate. That's nearly double the state rate of 6.3 percent in August, when the national rate was 5.4 percent. [
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