Child Poverty Soars In Upstate New York

Poverty is obviously something everybody wants to avoid. While this is an incredibly hard burden on adults, children living in poverty can suffer much, much more.

Unfortunately, children live in poverty more often than you'd think, and Upstate New York is a hotspot for those in these troubling circumstances.

What Constitutes as Child Poverty?

Poverty guidelines change every year in America, but the idea remains the same. If a child lives in a household that makes under a certain amount of money each year, they are considered a child in poverty. This can mean a lack of nutrition, stunted social growth, and a tougher time gaining employment in their future.

As of 2025, a family of four is considered to be living in poverty if they make under $32,150 a year in combined household income. That number increases with more people in the household, and decreases with less.

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Upstate New York Child Poverty Rates

There are four cities in Upstate New York that are in the top-100 for child poverty in the United States. Rochester and Syracuse are both within the top-20, at #14 and #17 respectively.

Albany, the state capital, came in third in the state, with a 36.2% child poverty rate. This means that out of Albany's 101,317 population, around 36,000 children live in poverty. This makes Albany the 26th highest state in the nation, and obviously a statistic the city's been working tirelessly to change.

Buffalo also made the top-100, with a 30% child poverty rate, making upstate New York one of the worst regions in the nation for this phenomenon.