New federal report surprises: Philadelphia poverty down, income upPhiladelphia Inquirer September 26, 2019 Philadelphia's poverty rate, a stark and stubborn indicator of hard times that has long hindered the city's reputation, dropped to its lowest level since 2008 -- near the start of the recession. At the same time, median household income here rose. The findings, contained in a voluminous report from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday, showed that the city's poverty rate declined from 25.7% in 2016 to 24.5% in 2018. View Story