Places Left Behind: Data Charts

Table 2: Seventeen Northeast Central Cities Have Unacceptably High Unemployment.

Northeast Central Cities with 1998 Unemployment Rate of 6.8 Percent or More

		Avg. Ann. Unemployment Rate
City	State	1992	1998
Lawrence	MA	14.4%	8.5%
New Bedford	MA	14.8%	8.1%
Atlantic City	NJ	17.4%	13.4%
Camden	NJ	24.3%	12.9%
Jersey City	NJ	13.7%	9.0%
Millville	NJ	10.6%	7.7%
Newark	NJ	16.6%	9.6%
Trenton	NJ	13.7%	8.8%
Vineland	NJ	11.8%	8.7%
Buffalo	NY	12.2%	8.5%
New York	NY	11.0%	8.0%
Newburgh	NY	13.4%	7.2%
Niagara Falls	NY	13.0%	10.2%
Erie	PA	9.7%	7.1%
Johnstown	PA	12.5%	8.9%
Wilkes-Barre	PA	9.9%	7.1%
Williamsport	PA	9.3%	7.0%

Table 3: Thirty-Eight Northeast Central Cities Had Significant Population Loss from 1980 to 1998.

Northeast Central Cities with Significant Population Decline 1980-1998

		Population			Change in Population
City	State	1980	1990	1998	1980 to 1990	1990 to 1998	1980 to 1998
New London	CT	28,842	28,540	23,869	-1.0%	-16.4%	-17.2%
Norwich	CT	38,074	37,391	34,931	-1.8%	-6.6%	-8.3%
Lewiston	ME	40,481	39,757	36,186	-1.8%	-9.0%	-10.6%
Holyoke	MA	44,678	43,704	40,964	-2.2%	-6.3%	-8.3%
Pittsfield	MA	51,974	48,622	45,513	-6.4%	-6.4%	-12.4%
Atlantic City	NJ	40,199	37,986	38,063	-5.5%	0.2%	-5.3%
Bayonne	NJ	65,047	61,444	61,051	-5.5%	-0.6%	-6.1%
Newark	NJ	329,248	275,221	267,823	-16.4%	-2.7%	-18.7%
Trenton	NJ	92,124	88,675	84,494	-3.7%	-4.7%	-8.3%
Albany	NY	101,727	101,082	94,305	-0.6%	-6.7%	-7.3%
Auburn	NY	32,548	31,258	29,145	-4.0%	-6.8%	-10.5%
Binghamton	NY	55,860	53,008	46,760	-5.1%	-11.8%	-16.3%
Buffalo	NY	357,870	328,123	300,717	-8.3%	-8.4%	-16.0%
Elmira	NY	35,327	33,724	31,367	-4.5%	-7.0%	-11.2%
Glens Falls	NY	15,897	15,023	14,497	-5.5%	-3.5%	-8.8%
Jamestown	NY	35,775	34,681	32,166	-3.1%	-7.3%	-10.1%
Niagara Falls	NY	71,384	61,840	56,768	-13.4%	-8.2%	-20.5%
Poughkeepsie	NY	29,757	28,844	27,669	-3.1%	-4.1%	-7.0%
Rochester	NY	241,741	231,636	216,887	-4.2%	-6.4%	-10.3%
Rome	NY	43,826	44,350	39,792	1.2%	-10.3%	-9.2%
Schenectady	NY	67,972	65,566	61,698	-3.5%	-5.9%	-9.2%
Syracuse	NY	170,105	163,860	152,215	-3.7%	-7.1%	-10.5%
Troy	NY	56,638	54,269	51,320	-4.2%	-5.4%	-9.4%
Utica	NY	75,632	68,637	59,334	-9.2%	-13.6%	-21.5%
Altoona	PA	57,078	51,881	49,226	-9.1%	-5.1%	-13.8%
Erie	PA	119,123	108,718	102,640	-8.7%	-5.6%	-13.8%
Harrisburg	PA	53,264	52,376	49,502	-1.7%	-5.5%	-7.1%
Johnstown	PA	35,496	28,134	25,390	-20.7%	-9.8%	-28.5%
Lebanon	PA	25,711	24,800	23,442	-3.5%	-5.5%	-8.8%
Philadelphia	PA	1,688,210	1,585,577	1,436,287	-6.1%	-9.4%	-14.9%
Pittsburgh	PA	423,938	369,879	340,520	-12.8%	-7.9%	-19.7%
Reading	PA	78,686	78,380	74,762	-0.4%	-4.6%	-5.0%
Scranton	PA	88,117	81,805	74,683	-7.2%	-8.7%	-15.2%
Sharon	PA	19,057	17,493	16,373	-8.2%	-6.4%	-14.1%
Wilkes-Barre	PA	51,551	47,523	42,828	-7.8%	-9.9%	-16.9%
Williamsport	PA	33,401	31,933	29,891	-4.4%	-6.4%	-10.5%
York	PA	44,619	42,192	39,978	-5.4%	-5.2%	-10.4%
Woonsocket	RI	45,914	43,877	41,034	-4.4%	-6.5%	-10.6%

Source: Bureau of the Census
NOTE: These central cities had a population loss of 5 percent or greater between 1980-1998.

Table 4: Thirty-Six Central Cities in the Northeast Have High Poverty.

Poverty Rate 1989 and Poverty Rate Estimates 1993 and 1995 for
Northeast Central Cities with Estimated Poverty Rate 1995 >/= 20 Percent

		Poverty	Estimated Poverty Rate
City	State	Rate 1989	1993	1995
Hartford	CT	27.5%	38.3%	35.2%
New Haven	CT	21.3%	28.6%	26.4%
Holyoke	MA	25.7%	29.1%	28.7%
Lawrence	MA	27.5%	37.5%	30.3%
Lowell	MA	18.0%	25.2%	23.4%
New Bedford	MA	16.8%	21.8%	20.1%
Springfield	MA	20.1%	22.5%	22.0%
Atlantic City	NJ	25.0%	34.5%	29.9%
Bridgeton	NJ	25.1%	31.7%	29.5%
Camden	NJ	36.6%	49.2%	44.2%
Jersey City	NJ	18.9%	23.0%	21.8%
Newark	NJ	26.3%	35.3%	30.5%
Trenton	NJ	18.1%	23.2%	20.9%
Binghamton	NY	20.0%	24.3%	26.8%
Buffalo	NY	25.6%	32.8%	29.6%
Elmira	NY	22.2%	26.3%	25.4%
Jamestown	NY	18.7%	23.9%	22.9%
Newburgh	NY	26.2%	34.3%	31.5%
New York	NY	19.3%	24.4%	23.7%
Niagara Falls	NY	18.6%	22.9%	22.0%
Poughkeepsie	NY	14.7%	23.5%	23.6%
Rochester	NY	23.5%	27.3%	28.3%
Syracuse	NY	22.7%	26.5%	26.5%
Utica	NY	21.7%	27.2%	27.4%
Erie	PA	19.3%	21.3%	20.4%
Harrisburg	PA	27.0%	32.3%	28.2%
Johnstown	PA	26.9%	29.6%	27.4%
Lancaster	PA	20.9%	26.1%	22.0%
Philadelphia	PA	20.3%	26.5%	23.8%
Pittsburgh	PA	21.4%	23.3%	20.2%
Reading	PA	19.4%	28.3%	22.7%
Sharon	PA	18.8%	23.1%	21.3%
State College	PA	45.4%	23.5%	21.8%
Williamsport	PA	21.1%	25.6%	23.0%
York	PA	20.3%	28.0%	23.1%
Providence	RI	23.0%	29.5%	27.9%

Source: Bureau of the Census
NOTE: “High poverty” central cities had a 1989 poverty rate of 20 percent or more.

Table 6: Most Central Cities in the Northeast Region that Show Unacceptably High Unemployment Are Small or Mid-Sized.

Northeast Central City Unemployment Rate by Population Size

	All Cities		Small Cities Less Than 50,000		Mid-Sized Cities 50,000 to 100,000		Larger Cities 100,000 to 500,000		Largest Cities 500,000 or More
Unemployment Rate	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
6.8% or higher	17	19.3%	6	15.0%	6	22.2%	4	22.2%	1	33.3%
4.5% to 6.8%	36	40.9%	16	40.0%	10	37.0%	9	50.0%	1	33.3%
Less than 4.5%	35	39.8%	18	45.0%	11	40.7%	5	27.8%	1	33.3%
Total	88	100.0%	40	100.0%	27	100.0%	18	100.0%	3	100.0%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
NOTE: “Unacceptably higher” is defined as 6.8 percent or higher (that is, 50 percent or more above the national average rate of 4.5 percent in 1998).

Table 7: Most Central Cities in the Northeast Region that Show Significant, Long-Run Population Loss Are Small or Mid-Sized.

Population Change in Northeast Central Cities by Population Size 1980-1998

	All Cities		Small Cities Less Than 50,000		Mid-Sized Cities 50,000 to 100,000		Larger Cities 100,000 to 500,000		Largest Cities 500,000 or More
Population Change 1980-1998	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Decline 5% or More	37	40.2%	22	50.0%	8	29.6%	6	33.3%	1	33.3%
Decline Less Than 5%	24	26.1%	6	13.6%	11	40.7%	6	33.3%	1	33.3%
Increase	31	33.7%	16	36.4%	8	29.6%	6	33.3%	1	33.3%
Total	92	100.0%	44	100.0%	27	100.0%	18	100.0%	3	100.0%

Source: Bureau of the Census
NOTE: “Significant” is defined as a loss of 50 percent or more over the period.

Table 8: Most High-Poverty Central Cities in the Northeast Region are Small or Mid-Sized. Number of High-Poverty Northeast Central Cities by Population Size

	All Cities		Small Cities Less Than 50,000		Mid-Sized Cities 50,000 to 100,000		Larger Cities 100,000 to 500,000		Largest Cities 500,000 or More
Estimated Poverty
Rate 1995
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
20% or Higher	36	39.1%	14	31.8%	8	29.6%	12	66.7%	2	66.7%
13.8% to 20%	25	27.2%	12	27.3%	8	29.6%	4	22.2%	1	33.3%
Less than 13.8%	31	33.7%	18	40.9%	11	40.7%	2	11.1%	0	0.0%
Total	92	100.0%	44	100.0%	27	100.0%	18	100.0%	3	100.0%

Source: Bureau of the Census, Estimates by HUD NOTE: “High poverty” is defined as 50 percent or more above the national rate for 1995—that is, a rate of 20 percent or higher.

Table 9: Among the Regions, the Northeast is Second Only to the West in Percentage of Central Cities with Unacceptably High Unemployment.

Central City Unemployment Rate 1998 by Region

	All Cities		Northeast		Midwest		South		West
Unemployment Rate	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
6.8 % or higher	98	19.1%	17	19.3%	23	18.1%	32	16.9%	26	23.9%
4.5% to 6.8%	160	31.2%	36	40.9%	34	26.8%	51	27.0%	39	35.8%
Less than 4.5%	255	49.7%	35	39.8%	70	55.1%	106	56.1%	44	40.4%
Total	513	100.0%	88	100.0%	127	100.0%	189	100.0%	109	100.0%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics NOTE: “Unacceptably high” is defined as 50 percent or more above the national average rate of 4.5 percent in 1998—that is, an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent or higher that year.

Table 10: Among the Regions, the Northeast is Second Only to the Midwest in Percentage of Central Cities with Significant, Long-Run Population Loss Over the Past Two Decades.

Population Change in Central Cities by Region 1980-1998

	All Cities		Northeast		Midwest		South		West
Population Change 1980-1998	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Decline 5% or More	131	24.3%	37	40.2%	53	40.5%	40	19.6%	1	0.9%
Decline Less Than 5%	54	10.0%	24	26.1%	13	9.9%	16	7.8%	1	0.9%
Increase	354	65.7%	31	33.7%	65	49.6%	148	72.5%	112	98.2%
Total	539	100.0%	92	100.0%	131	100.0%	204	100.0%	114	100.0%

Source: Bureau of the Census NOTE: “Significant” is defined as a loss of 5 percent or more during 1980-1998.

Table 11: Among the Regions, the Northeast is Second Only to the South in Percentage of Central Cities with High Poverty Rates.

Number of High-Poverty Central Cities by Region

	All Cities		Northeast		Midwest		South		West
Estimated Poverty Rate 1995	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
20% or Higher	171	31.5%	36	39.1%	24	18.3%	87	42.6%	24	20.9%
13.8% to 20%	199	36.7%	25	27.2%	50	38.2%	77	37.7%	47	40.9%
Less than 13.8%	172	31.7%	31	33.7%	57	43.5%	40	19.6%	44	38.3%
Total	542	100.0%	92	100.0%	131	100.0%	204	100.0%	115	100.0%

Source: Bureau of the Census, City Estimates by HUD NOTE: “High poverty” is defined as 50 percent or more above the national rate for 1995—that is, a rate of 20 percent or higher.

Table 12: The Northeast Leads the Nation's Regions in Percentage of Central Cities Facing “Double Trouble.”

Number of Doubly-Burdened Central Cities by Region

	All Cities		Northeast		Midwest		South		West
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Doubly-Burdened Cities	75	13.8%	15	16.3%	21	16.0%	25	12.3%	14	12.2%
All Other Cities	467	86.2%	77	83.7%	110	84.0%	179	87.7%	101	87.8%
Total	542	100.0%	92	100.0%	131	100.0%	204	100.0%	115	100.0%

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Bureau of the Census NOTE: “Double trouble” is defined as unacceptably high unemployment, plus either significant, long-run population loss or high poverty, or both.

Table 13: Although the Northeast Has Benefited Significantly from America's Economic Expansion, Long-run Trends Place It Among the Hardest Hit of America's Regions.

Selected Indicators for Central Cities and Remainder of Regions, by Region

	Northeast		Midwest		South		West
	Central Cities	Remainder*	Central Cities	Remainder*	Central Cities	Remainder*	Central Cities	Remainder*
Population Change
1980 to 1990	0.4%	4.9%	-2.2%	2.9%	8.2%	15.6%	22.0%	22.5%
1990 to 1998	-2.0%	3.6%	0.0%	7.6%	7.3%	13.5%	11.3%	15.8%
1980 to 1998	-1.7%	8.6%	-2.3%	10.7%	16.1%	31.2%	35.8%	41.8%
Poverty Rate
1989	18.6%	6.8%	19.2%	9.1%	19.2%	14.3%	14.9%	11.2%
1993*	23.5%	8.4%	22.0%	9.5%	22.3%	15.3%	19.3%	13.6%
1995*	22.0%	7.6%	18.7%	8.2%	20.7%	14.3%	18.0%	12.8%
Unemployment Rate
1992	10.3%	7.3%	8.1%	6.1%	7.7%	7.1%	8.4%	8.1%
1998	6.7%	3.8%	4.6%	3.4%	4.7%	4.2%	5.4%	5.3%

Sources: Bureau of the Census; Bureau of Labor Statistics *NOTE: Poverty rates for 1993 and 1995 are estimated. “Remainder” includes suburbs and nonmetropolitan areas.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009