Lorain has been identified as one of the poorest cities in the United States in a newly released national report.
The ranking, published in March 2026 by University Magazine, analyzed cities across the country using median household income and poverty rate data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
According to the report, Lorain has a median household income of $41,480 and a poverty rate of about 26%, placing it among the lowest-ranked cities included in the study of 20 municipalities nationwide.
Lorain, located about 30 miles west of Cleveland along Lake Erie, historically built its economy around steel production and auto parts manufacturing. Both industries declined sharply over time, and the report notes the city has not found a comparable economic replacement.
Several other Ohio cities also appeared on the list, including Cleveland, Canton, Dayton, and Toledo, with Ohio having more cities represented than any other state in the report. The concentration of cities from the state highlights broader economic challenges across the region.
The rankings are based strictly on income and poverty data and do not account for factors such as cost of living, ongoing development, housing conditions, or overall quality of life. Cities with lower median incomes or higher poverty rates tend to rank lower in this type of analysis.
The report also indicates that the income and poverty figures reflect how much economic recovery has reached everyday households, suggesting that gains in some areas may not be fully impacting residents across the city.
While the report highlights current economic conditions, it does not examine whether those conditions are improving or declining, and it is not immediately clear which specific year of Census data was used beyond a general reference to recent estimates.
Within the report’s rankings, Lorain appears near the top of the list, coming in at No. 9 overall.