What share of people in Pontiac are on low incomes?

48.8% of residents of Pontiac had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 36th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; Michigan: 29.3%).

Poverty and living standards in Pontiac, Michigan: official figures

24.4% of residents of Pontiac (14,744 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 52nd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; Michigan: 13.2%).

Poverty rate

24.4%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

35.5%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

55.1%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Pontiac?

35.5% of children under 18 in Pontiac lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (4,784 children), 36th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; Michigan: 17.6%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Pontiac?

By age, the poverty rate in Pontiac was 45.6% for children under 6 and 21.3% 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 Pontiac live in deep poverty?

7,885 people in Pontiac, 13.0% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 43rd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Pontiac are cost-burdened?

55.1% of renting households in Pontiac spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (6,833 households), 317th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; Michigan: 50.4%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

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

29.0% of renting households in Pontiac spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 267th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Pontiac are food insecure?

An estimated 34.6% of adults in Pontiac experienced food insecurity in the past year, 18th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 25.6% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Pontiac compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Pontiac ranks 52 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
49	Waterbury	24.7%
50	Terre Haute	24.7%
51	Greenville	24.6%
52	Pontiac	24.4%
53	Corvallis	24.3%
54	Toledo	24.3%
55	Dearborn	24.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

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

Pontiac ranks 36 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
33	Buffalo	35.5%
34	Pharr	35.5%
35	Macon-Bibb County	35.5%
36	Pontiac	35.5%
37	Akron	35.0%
38	Waterbury	34.9%
39	Madera	34.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

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

Pontiac ranks 43 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
40	Terre Haute	13.6%
41	Fort Pierce	13.5%
42	Jackson	13.1%
43	Pontiac	13.0%
44	Baton Rouge	13.0%
45	Hartford	13.0%
46	Bowling Green	13.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

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

Pontiac ranks 317 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
314	Avondale	55.1%
315	Mesa	55.1%
316	Gulfport	55.1%
317	Pontiac	55.1%
318	Beaumont	55.0%
319	Santa Rosa	54.9%
320	Kent	54.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

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

Pontiac ranks 18 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
15	Albany	36.1%
16	Compton	35.7%
17	New Brunswick	35.0%
18	Pontiac	34.6%
19	Cicero	34.3%
20	Jackson	34.0%
21	Lawrence	33.8%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Pontiac: 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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