When it comes to the divide between rich and poor in New York State, it seems to be growing exponentially. The rich are definitely getting richer and thanks in part to ridiculous inflation and stagnant wages, the poor are getting poorer. New York as a whole, however, has a vast amount of wealth, thanks mostly in part to NYC,

New York is one of the 3 richest states in the country, considering the large amount of concentrated wealth in New York City.

Even though New York is home to plenty of billionaires and millionaires, there are quite a few cities with high rates of people living in poverty. The wealth divide in New York State is disproportionate. According to the Chamber of Commerce,

2 of the richest states, New York and Alaska, have higher poverty rates than one would expect, indicating an above-average wealth inequality gap between the state’s richest and poorest citizens.

What's really interesting is that I see a lot of comments from people complaining about the social programs New York State offers to economically disadvantaged people. They seem to imply that everything NY does to help those living in poverty is making the state poor. However, according to the Chamber of Commerce, most of the states with the highest rates of poverty are actually located in the south.

The least wealthy states in the country are mostly clustered within a single geographic region: the South. 8 of the top 10 poorest states are located in the South, as well as 12 of the top 15.

According to the Daily Mail,

NYC is the richest city on the planet with 59 billionaires and a staggering 345,600 millionaires.

There are 126 billionaires who live in New York State (as of January 2023), according to Stacker.

Poverty seems to be getting worse, not just in New York, but all over the United States, according to the U.S. Census, 13.9% of people in New York State are living in poverty.

According to OnlyInYourState.com, these are the 7 poorest cities in New York State:

Per the United States Census Bureau, the New York cities featured below have the lowest per capita or median household income, making them the poorest cities in New York.

7. Elmira

Elmira is located in Chemung County. The population is 26,523 according to the 2020 census.

Making an average of income of $15,000 per year, Elmira is considered to be one of the poorest cities in New York.

6. Cortland

Cortland is located in Cortland County. Known as the Crown City, Cortland has a population of 17,556. Residents make an average annual income of around $14,000.

5. Ithaca

Home to Cornell University, Ithaca is located on Cayuga Lake in Tompkins County. Its population is 32,108. Residents of the "City of Waterfalls" make an average of $13,500 per year.

4. Newburgh

Newburgh is a city within Orange County with a population of 28,856.

Sadly, this city seems to always make our not-so-cheery lists. With residents making an average annual income of just over $13,000.

3. Oneonta

Nicknamed "City of the Hills," Oneonta is in southern Otsego County. Its population is 13,079. The average income of residents is around $12,000 per year.

2. Buffalo

Home of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo is a city in Erie County. With a population of 278,349, it is the second-largest city in New York State.

Buffalo is the biggest city in New York with the highest percent of low-income residents. Buffalo is said to have 30.4% of its residents living below the poverty line, with the average resident making roughly $15,000 per year.

1. Kiryas Joel

Kiryas Joel is a village coterminous with the Town of Palm Tree in Orange County. The majority of its 32,954 residents are Hasidic Jews. The average salary is just over $4,000 annually.

Not only did Kiryas Joel have one of the lowest incomes in the state, it also came in as having the lowest per capita income out of any other location in America with a population of over 10,000 residents.