In 2013, data from the Rochester Area Community Foundation and ACT Rochester showed the city had some of the highest poverty rates in the nation. Rochester was found to be the poorest school district in Upstate New York and in the nation.
Two years later, the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative was formed to identify the root causes for those statistics.
After issuing a progress report, RMAPI’s partners addressed initial recommendations. Service providers formed partnerships to better understand people’s experiences looking for work, navigating human services and finding safe and affordable housing.
In 2022, RMAPI published its new Unity Agenda, a roadmap for achieving poverty alleviation in Greater Rochester.
In the years since the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s report, the once-rapid rate of growth in poverty in Rochester first slowed and then reversed. In the latest report from the U.S. Census, the poverty rate for the most recent five-year period decreased by nearly 10 percent.
From 2013 to 2023, the Rochester child poverty rate fell by 20.9 percent, faster than the state average and faster than many upstate cities. For the same period, child poverty dropped 8.1 percent in Syracuse and 18.6 percent in Buffalo, RAMPI data show.
Poverty in Rochester remains a dire problem, however. RMAPI reports that among comparably-sized U.S. cities, the poverty statistics for Monroe County, especially in the City of Rochester, remain appalling. Of the almost one-third of the population who lives below the poverty line, half live in extreme poverty—meaning that the household income is half of the federal poverty level, RMAPI reports.
Q & A with Executive Director Aqua Porter, Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative
What factors most influenced the decline in Rochester poverty?
When RMAPI launched in 2015, we set out to do something that hadn’t been done before—break down silos and build real collaboration among organizations working to combat poverty. We focused on identifying the root causes and creating system-wide changes that give everyone in our community a seat at the table. Every decision we’ve made has been grounded in our core principles: centering racial equity, addressing trauma and revitalizing neighborhoods.
We can’t take full credit for the decline in poverty, but RMAPI has played a major role. In 2021, we successfully pushed local employers to raise wages, resulting in over 12,000 workers seeing meaningful pay increases. We also built a coalition that helped secure key policy changes, like raising the minimum wage and tying future increases to inflation—ensuring wages keep pace with the cost of living.
Other significant wins include the Clean Slate Act, which seals certain criminal records after several years, giving more New Yorkers the opportunity to fully participate in their communities and build a better future.
What can locals do to further this decline going forward? What are some concrete examples of how people can help? Is there someone in the community you can point to as an example?
We launched a campaign in Rochester to encourage people to take up that call. Poverty affects all of us, and we believe everyone can be part of the solution. Being a Poverty Abolitionist means using your power—whether it’s your voice, skills, connections, or choices—to drive meaningful change.
One easy but impactful way to start is by signing up for RMAPI’s advocacy alerts. This helps people stay informed and take action on policies that fight poverty and create real opportunities for upward mobility.
We’ve also launched our Civic Influencer program, designed to give community members the tools and support they need to engage in civic conversations and advocate for equitable solutions. Lived experience is powerful, and we want to make sure those voices are heard in shaping policies that affect real people’s lives.
"Together, we are breaking the cycle of poverty by shifting power to enable upward mobility for all families."