These Florida Cities Are Considered The Neediest In 2021

By Zuri Anderson

January 5, 2021

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 are struggling ahead of the new year, WalletHub ranked 182 cities based on metrics like child poverty, unemployment and more.

Eleven Florida cities were included on the list, with Miami being the highest ranked among them:

Miami (No. 13)
Hialeah (No. 20)
Fort Lauderdale (No. 60)
St. Petersburg (No. 86)
Orlando (No. 91)
Jacksonville (No. 97)
Tampa (No. 106)
Tallahassee (No. 118)
Port St. Lucie (No. 143)
Pembroke Pines (No. 151)
Cape Coral (No. 161)

Cape Coral also got a nod for having one of the lowest homeless rates in the study.

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 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.

Photo: Getty Images