Many of America's poorest towns weren't always facing hard times. In fact, some of them are former boomtowns that used to boast prosperous economies and flourishing industries. Using figures from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Data USA, we take a look at how prosperity turned to poverty in towns and cities across the country.

Whigham, Georgia took a severe hit during the Great Depression and lost more than one-third of its already small population, taking it down to 442 people by the time of the 1930 Census. Although the population peaked at around 600 residents in 2000, there were just 552 left in 2020. The median household income is currently $37,431 and the poverty rate is 13.7%. 

But the streets of Whigham weren't always so empty. Named after the merchant Robert Whigham, the city was founded in the late 19th century and is located on Georgia’s southern border. Surrounded by fertile soil, Whigham and the wider Grady County was once an affluent hub of agriculture and was home to many farms and companies providing farm-related services.

 

By some accounts, around 3,600 residents lived in West Blocton, Alabama at its industrial-era peak. Today, the town’s population is around 1,200 and hasn't changed much over the last decade. The median household income is $33,625 and the poverty rate is 18.5%.

The coal rush of the late 19th century attracted people to West Blocton, with laborers toiling down the mines and working on the coke ovens. A fire in 1927 nearly destroyed the town, with dozens of businesses and properties damaged. However, buildings such as the I&N Quality Store, which sold clothing and furniture, were rebuilt, and the town got back on its feet. There wasn't much time for recovery though: the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression signified the start of the downtown’s decline.

Bogalusa in Louisiana has a poverty rate of 31.5% and a typical household income of $31,976. From a total population of 11,658, only 9.7% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree.

But Bogalusa had a healthier economy in the days when it had a flourishing timber industry, creating jobs and putting the town on the map. The timber industry, however, went into decline in the 1960s.

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Camden in Arkansas has a high poverty rate of 31.8%, and the typical household income across its 10,877 residents is just $30,199, less than half the national average.

In the late 19th century Camden was known for its buzzing cotton trade. The area welcomed four steamboats a day, arriving to haul the 40,000 bales of cotton that the area produced in a season to New Orleans. Pictured are some cotton pickers from the area. Cotton is still produced in Arkansas, but as foreign markets developed, especially after World War II, production in America has greatly slowed. In fact, in 2015 American farmers planted the fewest acres of cotton since 1983.

Brunswick in Georgia has a poverty rate of 34.7% and a typical household income of $28,032. There are currently 16,231 people living in the town, according to the 2020 Census.

Brunswick has had ups and downs throughout its history. The town was abandoned during the American Civil War and affected by a post-war depression. However, as naval stores and timber production popped up, Brunswick experienced a building boom. While timber remains a strong industry for America, the coastal town is sadly no longer benefiting from it.

Laurinburg in North Carolina has a poverty rate of 36.6% and the typical household income is just $30,862, less than half the 2020 US average of $67,521. According to the latest Census, just 15,118 people live in the town today.

But Laurinburg's past tells quite the different story. The textile industry brought about a period of great prosperity for the town at the end of the 19th century. Villages surrounded the textile plants in the east of Laurinburg, with homes for workers such as these pictured in 1908. North Carolina is still known for textiles, but the factories are now in bigger towns and cities, such as nearby Charlotte.

As its successful steel industry began to collapse in the 1970s, Braddock in Pennsylvania saw widespread lay-offs and mill closures. The town has lost 90% of its peak population – it was home to 20,879 residents in the 1920 Census, compared to 1,885 in the 2020 edition. The current median household income is just $21,972 and the poverty rate is 36.7%. 

But this hasn't always been the case. In the late 1800s, philanthropic businessman Andrew Carnegie built a steel mill in Braddock, marking the beginning of the Pennsylvanian town's industrial growth and giving a generous boost to both its population and economy. Carnegie also oversaw the construction of an extensive public library, with an attached bathhouse for mill workers, a pool, and a music hall, among other amenities.

East Cleveland is a seriously poor town, with a typical household only bringing in $20,743 each year. The poverty rate is 37.5% and the population is dropping fast, falling from 17,200 in 2019 to 17,047 in 2020.

East Cleveland didn't always struggle though; in the early 20th century, burgeoning industries brought jobs and prosperity. From the National Bindery Company to the lamp division of the General Electric Company, the town's economy was bolstered by big businesses. But with just 300 employees and demand dwindling, General Electric announced plans to sell the plant back in 2017, more than 100 years after opening its doors.

Ville Platte in Louisiana translates from French as 'flat town', a fitting description for its current economic status. The typical household income in Ville Platte is a mere $19,616 and only 10.2% of adults have a bachelor's degree, so it's perhaps unsurprising the poverty rate is currently 41.4%.

The average home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania only costs $38,100 and the median household income is $24,561. But the town, which currently has 19,381 residents, wasn't always so poor...

But the town has not always been marred by poverty, and has had several economic booms. The first came in 1930 when oil was discovered six miles north of the area, causing Ville Platte's population to more than double. A black carbon facility remains in Ville Platte but today the plant only employs 90 people, and the entire population numbers just 7,117.

In the 19th century Johnstown was the leading steel producer in the US, with plants such as the Cambria Iron Company (pictured). This industry provided the town's people with thousands of jobs. Now the town is no longer a steel industry hub and its economy has suffered.

Brownsville's typical household income is only $25,440 and its poverty rate is 40.1%. The average home is valued at $160,700, however, suggesting homeownership may be an issue for those earning a modest income.

See the eye-opening photos that show how prosperity and poverty live side by side in some cities

The town, which sits on the edge of Miami, became a rich area for Black professionals in the early 1900s. Many African-Americans arrived from the Bahamas and built up its industries. That is until after World War II when white residents arrived and Black-owned businesses began to close. This photo shows jazz singer Billie Holiday performing in Georgette's Tea Room, a meeting place and guest house, in Brownsville in 1950.

 

Louisiana's Springhill has a low typical household income of just $20,690, despite the fact the median property value is $62,900. But Springhill used to be so prosperous that the town managed to weather both World Wars and the Great Depression.

How? Its booming timber and paper industry. That is until 1979, when the International Paper Company closed its last mill. Today the town has fewer than 5,000 residents and a poverty rate of 45.6%.

With a population of 21,704, Hamtramck in Michigan is one of the poorest towns in America. Surrounded by Detroit, a city that has had its own well-documented economic difficulties, Hamtramck's current typical household income is just $27,166 and the poverty rate is 46.5%.

Hamtramck's past was a little rosier. The town was known for its booming automobile industry, which began in 1914 when the Dodge Brothers Plant opened (pictured). This attracted a lot of immigrants looking for work, mainly Polish workers. Yet as the industry has faltered, and the last remaining car factory – General Motors' plant – closed in 2019, this prosperous past feels very distant today.

A history of catastrophic flooding – not to mention a series of gruesome race-motivated lynchings in the early 20th century – has damaged the reputation of Cairo, Illinois. Today, the median household income is $21,676, almost three times lower than the state-wide average of $59,196, and the poverty rate is 46.5%. Over the last 100 years, its population has dropped from around 15,000 to just 1,884.

Rewind to the Civil War, however, and Cairo was on the cusp of prosperity. General Ulysses S. Grant established a camp there and once the Civil War ended, Cairo developed into a prosperous town with booming rail and ferry industries. Home to several banks, wealthy merchants built lavish homes in the area and also helped to fund community infrastructure. This included the town’s library, which featured stained glass and impressive ornate woodwork.

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