Cleveland Ranked 2nd 'Neediest' City: Study

CLEVELAND — Cleveland is the second neediest city in America, according to a new study from personal finance website WalletHub. Only Detroit was ranked as needier.

To determine which American cities were neediest, WalletHub looked at child poverty rates, adult poverty rates, homelessness rates, food insecurity, number of uninsured, percentage of homes with inadequate plumbing, and percentage of homes with inadequate kitchens. Cleveland performed poorly in nearly every category.

Here's how Cleveland ranked in each category (1 is neediest; 91 is considered average):

• 1st – Child Poverty Rate (tied with Detroit and Rochester, NY)
• 2nd – Adult Poverty Rate
• 3rd – Unemployment Rate
• 90th – Homelessness Rate
• 16th – Food Insecurity Rate
• 15th – % of Homes with Inadequate Plumbing
• 9th – % of Homes with Inadequate Kitchens

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Ohio's other major metros performed significantly better than Cleveland. Columbus was ranked 76 out of 180 cities in terms of "neediness." Cincinnati had a bad showing, ranking 23, but its performance will be overshadowed by Cleveland's ignominious ranking.

To determine each city's performance in major categories, WalletHub looked at data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI, CDC, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, and more. WalletHub detailed the complete methodology for the study on its website.

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