30. Trenton, New Jersey
With a poverty rate just above 27%, Trenton is one of the poorest cities in America. Ironically, despite the average household earning only about $31,000 annually, the cost of living in the state is 18% higher than the national average, making life financially difficult for a quarter of its 84,000 residents. Educational attainment may have affected its residents’ income earning potential with only 15% holding college degrees.
As in other poor communities, crime is common, with Trenton recording 1,341 incidents of violence for every 100,000 people living there.
