Cleveland lowest, Cincy 6th lowest median income in U.S. (Cincinnati: loft, crime)

[OHBuckeye]

Of the 68 largest U.S. cities, here are the 10 worst for 2006 median household income according to the Census Bureau:

Cleveland - $26,535
Miami - $27,088
Buffalo - $27,850
Detroit - $28,364
St. Louis - $30,936
Cincinnati - $31,103
Pittsburgh - $31,779
Memphis - $32,594
El Paso - $33,103
Philadelphia - $33,229

The Enquirer - Cincinnati: Top 10 poorest

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/103432/The-Richest-(and-Poorest)-Places-in-the-U.S.?mod=oneclick (broken link)

[the_pines]

These rankings aren't all that. There are still lots of other ways to improve the quality of life in Ohio.

[OHBuckeye]

I should have noted that the rankings I posted were for the cities themselves, not for the metro areas.

[boardmanite]

Should cost of living be taken into consideration when looking at these rankings? Miami jumped out at me. It would be much easier to live in Cleveland on that income than in Miami.

[YoMikey617]

Babies havin' babies! Gotta love it. Maybe if we wait around long enough the theory of "Abstinence Only" Sex Ed will prove itself to be horribly wrong.

Miami's probably high on the list because the landed wealthy move there but they're not necessarily earning reportable income. The MO among the Miami elite is to hide your income in the BVI or Switzerland.

[BelieveInCleve]

The list is not that surprising to me. I didnt know Cleveland was that bad though to be even worse than Detroit. I was surprised the first time I heard Miami has a lot of poverty and crime because most people think of Miami as a really rich city that has no crime and hot weather. The reason Miami is on there is because it doesnt have much of a middle class. In Miami you are either really rich or making minimum wage. In the city of Cleveland you are either lower class or unemployed lol which is sad but true. Miami still has a large Cuban population that is still in poverty. Most of Miamis suburbs though are very rich but a few of them are poor. Also because of the people not having reportable income in Miami.

[MiamiU08]

Originally Posted by OHBuckeye

I should have noted that the rankings I posted were for the cities themselves, not for the metro areas.

I think you have hit the proverbial "nail on the head" with this blip, OHBuckeye. As with many other major (especially Midwestern) metropolises, those who can afford it will move to wealthier suburbs. There are generally two types of people who live in the city proper in Cleveland, and those are the folks struggling to get by on minimum wage, and the young professionals who want to live close to the action of downtown in a loft or flat. There are many more of the former than the latter, it should be noted.

These statistics mean well, but do not paint a full picture of the economics of Cleveland. "You can't judge a book by it's cover," as the saying goes...

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by MiamiU08

...the young professionals who want to live close to the action of downtown in a loft or flat.

Hopefully, this trend will continue.

[MiamiU08]

We can all hope that the trend continues, but unfortunately, the job market in Cleveland directs young professionals (and seasoned veteran employees alike) to the suburbs. With the relatively low compensation of Cleveland's employers, the low cost of living in the 'burbs is very attractive. There is such a disparity between the upscale neighborhoods and the declining neighborhoods in the city proper, and the rents in both reflect this difference. Something needs to change, but I suppose that is the definition of a city in a transitional period.

[jlrosen]

another reason is that places like columbus, indy and louisville include hundreds of thousands of suburban residents in their 'city population' that bring up the average. The data should be based on a radius from the city center, not on political lines.