Baltimore Is Among Neediest Cities In Nation Based On Report

BALTIMORE, MD — In a holiday season during which many of our hearts turn to giving, a new report reminds us of the harsh reality many of those around us are facing. Baltimore was ranked No. 18 on a list of more than 180 cities ranking the neediest in the United States.

Detroit was No. 1 on the list, followed by Cleveland, Ohio; Newark, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; and Jackson, Mississippi. Baltimore came in ahead of Toledo, Ohio, and behind Shreveport, Louisiana.

Personal finance website WalletHub compiled the list, weighing 25 factors to determine where Americans are most economically disadvantaged.

The rankings are based on two primary dimensions: economic well-being and health and safety.

Under economic well-being, cities were scored based on adult and child poverty rates, unemployment and underemployment rates, homelessness, and foreclosure and consumer bankruptcy rates, among other factors.

When it comes to economic well-being, Baltimore was the fifth most needy city in the U.S., according to WalletHub's ranking system.

According to U.S. Census data from 2016, approximately 21.8 percent of Baltimore City is in poverty. The national poverty rate is 12.7 percent.

The unemployment rate is 5.4 percent as of Nov. 30, 2017, which is down from 6.1 percent from 2016 but above the national rate of 3.9 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There were 2,669 homeless people in Baltimore on a single day in January 2017, the city's report on homelessness says. Of all the homeless people who live in Maryland, 39 percent were living in Baltimore City.

Under health and safety, WalletHub factored in suicide and crime rates, the number of over-crowded homes and the number of inadequate kitchens and plumbing in homes, among other factors. On the list of 180-plus cities, Baltimore came in at 120 when it came to health and safety.

Photo of a boarded-up home in Baltimore by Elizabeth Janney.