Community Corner
See How Medford's Poverty Rate Compares to Communities Nearby
According to numbers from the U.S. Census, 8.3 percent of people in Medford live below the poverty level. See how our city compares.
Medford has a poverty rate lower than national and state averages, as well as many communities nearby, according to data from the U.S. Census.
Medford's poverty rate stood at 8.3 percent, as of 2010, according to the data. In the United States, the poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent. That number was up from 14.3 percent in 2009 and 12.5 percent in 2007. Massachusetts has a poverty rate of 10.5 percent.
The U.S. Census uses a number of "thresholds" to measure poverty, which you can find here. In the example given by the U.S. Census, using 2010 numbers, a family of five, with a mother, father, great aunt and two children living in the household, would be considered living in poverty if the family income were $26,675 or less.
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How does Medford compare to other communities in the area? By way of example, Boston's poverty rate was 21.2 percent, Somerville's was 14.7 percent, Malden's was 12.8 percent, and Arlington's was 4.9 percent.
Here's a chart showing the poverty rates in Somerville and neighboring communities.
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