The COVID-19 pandemic amplified some pre-existing issues in America, including homelessness, poverty and hunger.
Feeding America says every U.S. county grapples with food insecurity. Thirty-five million people lacked adequate access to food before the pandemic, and it could grow to more than 50 million due to it. According to the U.S. Census, 10.5 percent of the U.S. population lived in poverty.
To track which cities may be struggling ahead of the new year, WalletHub ranked 182 cities based on metrics like child poverty, unemployment and more. The higher the ranking, the more needy it's considered.
Four Washington cities were included on the list: Spokane (No. 83), Tacoma (No. 93), Seattle (No. 122) and Vancouver (No. 138).
Here were the Top 10 neediest cities according to the website:
- Detroit, Michigan
- Brownsville, Texas
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Laredo, Texas
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Fresno, California
- Los Angeles, California
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"As we deal with the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important both help our existing impoverished population and make sure we minimize the number of new people who fall into poverty," Adam McCann wrote.
WalletHub also conducted a study on which cities were considered the most caring this year.
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