25 Cities Where Average Americans Are Under the Most Financial Stress

Times are tough for American families, and have been for some time. The middle class may seem like the most insulated, as they are the ones who make between two-thirds to double the national median income. However, even average Americans are feeling the pain of the economic ripple effects that followed the pandemic into the United States’ current state of high inflation.

To find the 25 cities where average Americans are under the greatest amount of financial stress, GOBankingRates analyzed the top 150 cities in the United States by population, as sourced from the U.S. Census 2022 American Community Survey. GOBankingRates then found data for a number of key factors such as household income, unemployment rates and the number of households that are spending more than 35% of their monthly income on housing costs. Data was tracked over a three-year period from 2019 to 2022.

Here’s a look at the cities where average American families are the most cost-burdened — and some of them may be surprising.

• Unemployment rate: 3.27%
• Poverty rate: 6.94%
• Cost-burdened households: 35.27%
• Three-year change in income: $10,077 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: 0.17%

• Unemployment rate: 2.23%
• Poverty rate: 7.64%
• Cost-burdened households: 54.96%
• Three-year change in income: $14,063 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.93%

• Unemployment rate: 3.51%
• Poverty rate: 10.41%
• Cost-burdened households: 43.49%
• Three-year change in income: $14,314 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -1.24% 

• Unemployment rate: 4.15%
• Poverty rate: 22.92%
• Cost-burdened households: 26.71%
• Three-year change in income: $9,512  
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.73%

• Unemployment rate: 2.98%
• Poverty rate: 7.75%
• Cost-burdened households: 47.44%
• Three-year change in income: $16,449 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: 0.14%

• Unemployment rate: 2.83%
• Poverty rate: 14.77%
• Cost-burdened households: 36.98%
• Three-year change in income: $9,437 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.10%

• Unemployment rate: 3.35%
• Poverty rate: 17.72%
• Cost-burdened households: 29.11%
• Three-year change in income: $7,138 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.05%

• Unemployment rate: 4.36%
• Poverty rate: 23.60%
• Cost-burdened households: 27.29%
• Three-year change in income: $6,862 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -1.51%

• Unemployment rate: 3.77%
• Poverty rate: 24.56%
• Cost-burdened households: 29.20%
• Three-year change in income: $7,653 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.89%

• Unemployment rate: 4.23%
• Poverty rate: 12.75%
• Cost-burdened households: 40.50%
• Three-year change in income: $14,403 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -1.17%

• Unemployment rate: 3.18%
• Poverty rate: 18.05%
• Cost-burdened households: 33.10%
• Three-year change in income: $6,087 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.42%

• Unemployment rate: 3.03%
• Poverty rate: 15.65%
• Cost-burdened households: 39.24%
• Three-year change in income: $9,678 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.28%

• Unemployment rate: 3.17%
• Poverty rate: 15.16%
• Cost-burdened households: 40.31%
• Three-year change in income: $8,822 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.80%

• Unemployment rate: 3.05%
• Poverty rate: 10.47%
• Cost-burdened households: 47.34%
• Three-year change in income: $13,585 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.28%

• Unemployment rate: 2.75%
• Poverty rate: 5.51%
• Cost-burdened households: 58.42%
• Three-year change in income: $18,322 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: 0.22%

• Unemployment rate: 3.44%
• Poverty rate: 16.46%
• Cost-burdened households: 39.36%
• Three-year change in income: $8,592 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.40%

• Unemployment rate: 3.32%
• Poverty rate: 17.28%
• Cost-burdened households: 31.43%
• Three-year change in income: 1.16%
• Three-year change in poverty rate: $8,116 

• Unemployment rate: 3.27%
• Poverty rate: 8.14%
• Cost-burdened households: 45.01%
• Three-year change in income: $11,164 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: 0.20%

• Unemployment rate: 3.77%
• Poverty rate: 7.97%
• Cost-burdened households: 54.58%
• Three-year change in income: $16,520 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.24%

• Unemployment rate: 4.07%
• Poverty rate: 18.94%
• Cost-burdened households: 32.46%
• Three-year change in income: -0.15%
• Three-year change in poverty rate: $8,142

• Unemployment rate: 3.59%
• Poverty rate: 9.64%
• Cost-burdened households: 44.12%
• Three-year change in income: 0.61%
• Three-year change in poverty rate: $10,803 

• Unemployment rate: 5.27%
• Poverty rate: 13.38%
• Cost-burdened households: 36.34%
• Three-year change in income: $10,539 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -1.11%

• Unemployment rate: 3.19%
• Poverty rate: 8.03%
• Cost-burdened households: 48.37%
• Three-year change in income: $10,934 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: 0.71%

• Unemployment rate: 4.85%
• Poverty rate: 14.67%
• Cost-burdened households: 37.52%
• Three-year change in income: $10,002 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.61%

• Unemployment rate: 4.87%
• Poverty rate: 16.53%
• Cost-burdened households: 43.61%
• Three-year change in income: $10,688 
• Three-year change in poverty rate: -0.87%

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the top 150 cities in the United States by population, as sourced from the U.S. Census 2022 American Community Survey S0101. For each city a number of factors were found including; 2022 total households, 2022 and 2019 median household income, sourced from the U.S. Census 2022 and 2019 American Community Survey S1901, the 2022 and 2019 number of unemployed residents as sourced from the US Census 2022 and 2019 American Community Survey DP03, the number of households below the poverty line as sourced from the U.S. Census 2022 and 2019 American Community Survey S1701, and the number of households in 2022 spending more than 35% of their monthly income on housing costs. The poverty rate was calculated using the number of residents below the poverty line and the change from 2019 to 2022 was calculated. The three-year change in median income was calculated from 2019 to 2022. The percentage of households spending more than 35% of their monthly income on housing costs was calculated. The number of households spending more than 35% of their monthly income was scored and weighted at 2.00, the three-year change in household median income was scored and weighted at 1.50, the three-year change in poverty rate was scored and weighted at 2.00, the unemployment rate was scored and weighted at 1.50 and the 2022 household median income was scored and weighted at 1.00. All the scores were summed and sorted to find the cities where the middle-class families are under the most financial stress. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 11, 2024.