The Poorest Congressional District in America? Right Here, in New York City

There are 435 congressional districts in the United States of America. And the poorest one in the country is right here in New York City. Can you guess which one it is?

If you answered “The 16th Congressional District,” which accounts for the South Bronx neighborhoods of Bedford Park, East Tremont, Fordham, Hunts Point, Melrose, Highbridge, Morrisania, Mott Haven, and University Heights — and also, the home of the Richest Sports Franchise in America, the New York Yankees’ Yankee Stadium — you answered correctly! The New York Daily News notes:

More than a quarter-million people in the South Bronx are living in poverty, making Rep. Jose Serrano’s 16th Congressional District the poorest in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The South Bronx had 256,544, or 38 percent, of its residents living below the poverty line, the new county-by-county Census stats show. The figures are worse for children, with 49 percent living in poverty.

Not that the South Bronx doesn’t have its more distinguished hometown heroes — like current U.S. Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor — to speak interestingly to this statistic. But as NYC The Blog points out, it also speaks quite interestingly to this statistic that not one, not two, but three of the 10 richest ZIP codes in America — Soho and the West Village — are just $2.25 and a short subway ride away:

The Manhattan neighborhood south of Houston Street — home to such celebrities as actress Meg Ryan, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and glam rocker David Bowie — was ranked ninth on the annual Forbes roster of tony ZIP codes. Soho rocketed up the list from No. 18 last year, with median home prices rising 22 percent to $3.2 million. Meanwhile, the West Village’s 10014 ZIP code fell from third last year to fifth this year and the Upper East Side’s 10065 ZIP moved up from No. 9 to No. 7.

Oh, and also, the East Village cracked the Top 25. So much for finding all those stray
“heroin needles” lying around. Meanwhile, as NYC The Tumblr also points out, Rich People are really, really mad at the world. Maybe it’d put things in perspective if they ended up, like, three blocks astray from Yankee Stadium. But probably not.