None of the nation's 25 most populated metro areas saw an increase in poverty between 2017 and 2018, and seven of those metro areas actually saw a decrease, according to data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles metro areas – the three most populated in America – the poverty rate dropped for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Census Bureau data, released in late September. The other metro areas within the 25 that saw lower poverty rates in 2018 include Portland, Oregon, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phoenix.

At 17.3%, New York City's poverty rate is the lowest it's been since the 1970s. The city, part of the larger New York metro area that also includes Newark, New Jersey and Jersey City, still has a large gap between its richest and poorest residents, according to The Wall Street Journal , but its economy has been performing well this year and its unemployment rate continues to drop.

"I was elected on a promise to end the Tale of Two Cities and that's exactly what we've spent every day of the last five years working to do," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement released by his office this week. "From fighting for $15 minimum wage to guaranteeing Pre-K for every child to Paid Safe and Sick Leave, we are putting more money in the hands of working families and creating a fairer city for all."

Just over 17% of Chicago residents lived in poverty in 2018, down from 22% in 2014, according to the Daily Herald . Experts attribute part of this decline to the city's growing economy, which has led to an influx of young professionals . Meanwhile, some neighborhoods still experience high poverty rates and employment challenges as the number of manufacturing jobs have fallen, according to Curbed .

"Chicago has been losing a lot of poor folks as they move to other states," Rob Paral, a demographic and public policy consultant, told the Daily Herald. He added that Chicago's poverty decline is interesting given that it has been known for so long as a "poor man's city."

While the poverty rate dropped in the Los Angeles metro area, pockets of the population continue to struggle. Los Angeles County had 49,955 homeless people in 2018, for example, the second highest of any urban area.

Below is a look at the 2017 and 2018 poverty rates in America's 25 most populated metro areas. The several slight poverty increases were not considered statistically significant by the Census Bureau.

Metro Area 2018 Poverty Rate 2017 Poverty Rate Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 7.6% 7.9% Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 8.0% 8.6% San Fransisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 8.3% 8.8% Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 8.5% 8.1% Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 8.7% 9.0% Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 9.2% 9.6% Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 9.8% 10.9% Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 10.1% 10.2% Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 11.1% 12% Charlotte-Concord, Gastonia, NC-SC 11.2% 12.1% Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 11.2% 11.8% Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 11.2% 11.3% San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 11.4% 11.8% St. Louis, MO-IL 16.2% 16.6% Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 11.6% 11.6% New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 12.3% 12.8% Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 12.3% -- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 13.3% 12.1% Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 13.4% 13.9% Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 13.7% 14.4% Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 13.9% 14.1% Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 14% 14.3% Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 14.3% 14.6% Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 14.3% 13.9% San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 15.4% 14.5%