State of Tennessee Poverty Rates:
Overall — 17.3%
Caucasian — 18% — 905,967 people
African-American — 37% — 399,225 people
Memphis Poverty Rates:
Overall — 26.2%
Caucasian — 12.6%
African-American — 33.7%
The inner city poverty rate in Memphis is 36%. The inner city makes up 28% of the MSA’s population and 62% of the MSA’s population living in poverty.
Memphis has the fifth highest child poverty rate – 42% – following Detroit (52%); Cleveland (54%); Miami (44%), and Milwaukee (43%).
Tennessee has the 11th highest state poverty rate. 25.9% of Tennessee’s jobs are low-wage, and 36.6% of poor families are working.
In Shelby County, 50.1% of people under poverty worked full-time or part-time in the previous month.
Memphis has 15.6% of Tennesseans in poverty but 10.3% of Tennessee population.
