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Philadelphia maintains the highest deep-poverty rate of large U.S. cities

An Inquirer examination of federal data shows that, between 2013 and 2014, Philadelphia held rank as the poorsest of the 10 largest cities in the U.S.

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An Inquirer examination of the most recent census data shows that, between 2013 and 2014, Philadelphia held rank as the poorest of the 10 largest cities in the U.S.

For a family of four, the federal poverty limit is $24,000 a year. Deep poverty is a household income 50 percent or less than the poverty rate. So for that same family of four, deep poverty is considered $12,000 or less annually.

In Philadelphia the deep poverty rate is 12.3 percent, approximately 186,000 people. Among those, about 60,000 are children, according to the Inquirer's report on 2014 census data. The deep poverty rate in other cities can be much higher. For example, 20 percent of Camden residents live in deep poverty, but as the report notes, "its population of about 72,000 is a fraction of Philadelphia's."

While not groundbreaking news, the report also uses expert testimonies to shed light on the implications of pervasive poverty for the city year after year.

Deep poverty also disproportionately affects communities of color. Earlier this year, an analysis from Pew Research Center found that two in five Black children live in poverty in the U.S.

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