What share of people in Hartford are on low incomes?

48.8% of residents of Hartford had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 34th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; Connecticut: 22.0%).

Poverty and living standards in Hartford, Connecticut: official figures

26.3% of residents of Hartford (29,944 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 29th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; Connecticut: 10.0%).

Poverty rate

26.3%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

35.6%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

59.4%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Hartford?

35.6% of children under 18 in Hartford lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (9,587 children), 32nd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; Connecticut: 13.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Hartford?

By age, the poverty rate in Hartford was 35.6% for children under 6 and 27.8% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Hartford live in deep poverty?

14,834 people in Hartford, 13.0% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 45th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Hartford are cost-burdened?

59.4% of renting households in Hartford spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (20,049 households), 148th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; Connecticut: 52.6%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Hartford spend half their income on rent?

32.9% of renting households in Hartford spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 120th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Hartford are food insecure?

An estimated 37.7% of adults in Hartford experienced food insecurity in the past year, 9th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 28.4% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Hartford compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Hartford ranks 29 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
26	Athens	26.5%
27	Davis	26.5%
28	Iowa City	26.3%
29	Hartford	26.3%
30	Fort Pierce	26.2%
31	Valdosta	26.1%
32	Edinburg	26.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Hartford ranks 32 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
29	Schenectady	35.7%
30	Galveston	35.7%
31	Memphis	35.7%
32	Hartford	35.6%
33	Buffalo	35.5%
34	Pharr	35.5%
35	Macon-Bibb County	35.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Hartford ranks 45 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
42	Jackson	13.1%
43	Pontiac	13.0%
44	Baton Rouge	13.0%
45	Hartford	13.0%
46	Bowling Green	13.0%
47	Rochester	12.8%
48	Albany	12.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Hartford ranks 148 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
145	Whittier	59.5%
146	North Port	59.4%
147	Burbank	59.4%
148	Hartford	59.4%
149	Paterson	59.4%
150	Hesperia	59.3%
151	Concord	59.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Hartford ranks 9 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
6	Passaic	40.2%
7	Huntington Park	39.0%
8	Madera	37.9%
9	Hartford	37.7%
10	Trenton	37.3%
11	Newark	37.0%
12	Lynwood	36.3%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Hartford: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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