The 7 Poorest Capital Cities in the United States

1. Hartford – Connecticut

The capital city of Connecticut is not only one of the state’s oldest cities but also one of the poorest. The state is among the country’s richest, concentrated in predominantly white suburbs and cities.

The federal poverty rate for the city is 27.1%.

In 2018, the state of Connecticut bailed out its capital city to save it from poverty. Even after this, Hartford is struggling to reach financial stability. The multi-year flow of many residents and businesses out of the city continually weakens the economy.

A larger percentage of the city workforce are personal-care aides and retail salespeople. Capitalism arbitrarily deems these positions less worthy of money, so the city’s capital steadily declines.

2. Tallahassee – Florida

The capital city of Florida is Tallahassee. Tallahassee sits on the panhandle and is landlocked. Florida State University and Florida A&M University are within the city limits, and the high student population contributes to the poverty rate.

The federal poverty rate for the city is 24.3%.

Tallahassee has a largely fluctuating population that increases during the school year and diminishes during holidays. Many students work part-time but go back home over the break. After graduating, most decide to leave the city.

Graduated students aren’t the only ones leaving Tallahassee, and this causes a sharp imbalance between open positions and people seeking work. Capitalism does not simply let people in Tallahassee live. Instead, it forces them to find jobs that are, in most cases, useless.

3. Columbia – South Carolina

Among the poorest capitals in the U.S., Columbia ranks third. The city houses the University of South Carolina. Because most students either do not work or only work part-time, the city has a lower household income than other places in South Carolina.

The city’s federal poverty rate is 22.5%.

Full-time workers do not make living wages in the city, so many leave if possible. For those who stay, affordable housing is usually in the city’s outskirts and far from their places of work.

Because capitalism does not see housing as the basic human right that it is, many of these full-time workers in Columbia live without secure housing.

4. Providence – Rhode Island

The capital city of Rhode Island, Providence, is also the country’s poorest. The city has one of the highest concentrations of poverty in the United States.

The federal poverty level of the city is 22.1%

Providence is home to Brown University, and the student body is one of the reasons that the median household income is lower than other places.

The city does not provide sufficient resources to its poor and instead packs them together in highly lacking communities. Providence, and Rhode Island in general, have enough resources to provide for everyone. However, they are hoarded by the wealthy white folks. These rich families violently accumulated the resources at the expense of native folks.

5. Richmond – Virginia

Richmond, Virginia, ranks fifth among the poorest capitals. At least 40% of the city’s residents live below the poverty level, which is the highest in the state, according to 24/7 Wall Street.

The city’s federal poverty rate is 21.1%.

6. Lincoln – Nebraska

Though it’s the capital of Nebraska, Lincoln holds a lower salary than the state median. Despite this, and due to the unforgiving nature of capitalism, housing prices are high. The unemployment rate is also high in the city.

The federal poverty rate of this city is 13.9%.

Capitalism bakes failures into itself through recessions to concentrate the wealth into fewer and fewer hands. Because of this, the United States had a great recession from 2007 to 2009. Most Lincoln families live below the levels of income they had before the recession.

7. Honolulu – Hawaii

The capital city of Hawaii has one of the lower poverty rates in the state, but the population still struggles to make ends meet. A huge part of this is due to white colonizers pricing out natives and taking opportunities from them.

The federal poverty rate for this city is 12.9%.

While Hawaii offers a few assistance programs, many cannot afford the skyrocketing housing prices, food, and medical care. The colonial and destructive tourism industry is the main cause of this.