Mapping incomes

Income disparities are real—and getting more extreme. Maps of income distribution in U.S. cities reveal subtleties and surprises.

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of wealthy suburbs on the left and aerial imagery of small and dense houses on the right

Along the curving streets of Beverly Hills in greater Los Angeles, gracious homes occupy large, manicured lots liberally sprinkled with swimming pools and tennis courts. A few miles to the southeast, modest, low-slung dwellings crowd the gritty, gridded streets of Watts.

Similarly, in Chicago, occupants of the luxury lakeshore high-rises of the Gold Coast can gaze through binoculars at the chronically poor neighborhoods south and west of the Loop.

To one degree or another, these stark contrasts characterize almost every U.S. city. And as income disparity continues to increase, so do the contrasts. The maps in this story explore patterns of wealth and poverty in a handful of American cities. By visualizing income data in three different ways—specifically, by mapping income predominance, income extremes, and income diversity—we can begin to discern general patterns in the distribution of earnings within and between America's urban centers.

Map 1: Predominance

Map 2: Wealth and poverty concentrations

Nationwide, around a quarter of all households earn less than $25,000 each year, and another quarter or so earn at least $100,000 per year.

Map 3: Diversity

The previous maps suggest that income is not evenly distributed across urban geographies—but some areas are notably more income-diverse than others.

Now that we've explained the maps, let's look at patterns of wealth and poverty in a few cities across the United States.

Los Angeles

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of luxury mansions on the left, and aerial imagery of dense urban houses on the right

Mansions in Beverly Hills; cheek-by-jowl bungalows in South Los Angeles

In many ways Los Angeles is a bellwether for the nation. While people of color will make up the majority of the U.S. population by 2044, Los Angeles crossed that threshold in the 1980s. Economic opportunity is spread unevenly across LA's population—and its geography.

New York City

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of luxury apartment buildings on the left, and aerial imagery of lower-income housing projects on the right

Tony apartments and townhouses on Manhattan's Upper East Side; public housing in the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood

The densely populated boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn are largely divided into distinct income categories, although gentrification, particularly in Brooklyn, is raising income levels in some areas.

Detroit

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of large suburban houses on the left, and aerial imagery of old houses surrounded by vacant lots on the right

A wealthy Detroit suburb; vacant lots not far from GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant

Some recent media reports have claimed that a renaissance is underway in Detroit, a city long beleaguered by dramatic reductions in manufacturing employment. Unfortunately, this resurgence is limited to a few localities in the urban core, while income disparities in other areas continue to mount.

Philadelphia

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of a leafy suburb on the right, and aerial imagery of dense row houses on the right

Leafy estates in Ardmore along the Philadelphia Main Line; row houses in the Kensington neighborhood north of Center City

In stark contrast to Detroit, Philadelphia's center city is thriving. Yet other neighborhoods continue to experience chronic poverty.


Houston

A composite image featuring aerial imagery of a suburban mansions on the right, and aerial imagery of small garden apartments on the right

Gracious homes near Rice University; modest garden apartments in the Gulfton neighborhood

Houston has the outer ring of wealthy suburbs that typifies most American cities. But like Philadelphia, portions of the inner city are also affluent.

Nationwide

It's an oversimplification, perhaps, but largely true: Wealth is concentrated in America's cities, while rural areas are less affluent and less upwardly mobile.


Related reading

About this story

This story was produced by Esri's StoryMaps team using  ArcGIS StoryMaps . The story was originally published in 2018 and updated in February 2023 to feature the latest American Community Survey data, which is from 2017-2021. This data is available in Esri’s  Living Atlas of the World .

Cartography

Lisa Berry, Allen Carroll, Cooper Thomas

Research and writing

Allen Carroll

Mansions in Beverly Hills; cheek-by-jowl bungalows in South Los Angeles

Tony apartments and townhouses on Manhattan's Upper East Side; public housing in the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood

A wealthy Detroit suburb; vacant lots not far from GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant

Leafy estates in Ardmore along the Philadelphia Main Line; row houses in the Kensington neighborhood north of Center City

Gracious homes near Rice University; modest garden apartments in the Gulfton neighborhood