Obviously poor and rich are relative terms, so please allow me to expand. Here is the wiki graph for the income brackets for the US,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States#Quintiles
Using this concept of povety-level/lower-middle/middle/upper-middle/top-fifth, would any of the signers have been considered, relative to their time, lower-middle or below?
Also did any of them rent their homes, and not own any land or businesses?
There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
At the time they signed, all of them were middle class or above in wealth or income.
(Some of them later lost their wealth - several as a result of funding the Revolution or of British destruction of their property).
Quite a few, however, grew up poor or lower middle class, before becoming more prosperous.
There are quite a few signers who's wealth growing up is hard to determine, and many who grew up well off.
Here are 12 of the signers who's early life is documented and who seem to have grown up poor or had working class jobs:
Caesar Rodney of Delaware was not wealthy growing up. He was born on his father’s farm, received no formal education. His father died when he was 17. He was placed under the guardianship of the clerk of the peace in Kent county. By the time he was 22, in 1755, however, he was high Sheriff of Kent County.
George Taylor of Pennsylvania grew up working class. He grew up in Ireland. Emigrated to America in his early 20s. Worked in the iron industry. Became an ironmaster. Eventually was a partner in a successful iron business.
George Ross of Pennsylvania was the son of a minister, and one of a large family, so he probably did not grow up very well off. He took the bar at age 20 and became a successful lawyer, Crown Prosecutor, provincial legislator.
Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was not educated beyond the age of 10. He became an apprentice printer at the age of 12. By the time he signed the declaration of Independence he was quite well off as a printer and publisher. He had also held many public offices.
Robert Treat Paine of Massachusetts was the son of a minister. Although educated at Harvard, he spent 6 or 8 years as a sailor in merchant ships to build up his poor health, before returning to Massachusetts, taking the bar, and becoming a lawyer.
William Whipple of New Hampshire, grew up none too well off in Kittery, Maine. In his early teens he went to sea as a sailor before the mast. By age 21 he had become a Ship Master. He saved considerable money in this profession, and when he was 28 became a merchant in Portsmouth.
Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island, born in 1707 was apparently of modest background and self educated. He became speaker of the Rhode Island Assembly.
William Floyd of New York was a farmer. His family’s farm on long island was established and fairly prosperous, but William’s father died when he was in his teens, and he had to work hard to keep the farm going and make it prosperous again.
George Walton of Virginia became an orphan at an early age. His uncle apprenticed him as a carpenter as soon as he was old enough. He was admitted to the bar when he was 33.
Abraham Clark of New Jersey grew up on a small farm. He taught himself mathematics and became a surveyor. He then taught himself law, passed the bar and became a land lawyer.
John Hart of New Jersey helped his father build a farm from scratch where no one had yet farmed. By the time he inherited it it had become prosperous.
Roger Sherman of Connecticut grew up on what was then the frontier on a wilderness farm in Stoughton. He had very little education. He started out as a cobbler, but taught himself surveying, became a surveyor, taught himself law and took the bar. He also opened the first store in New Milford, Connecticut.