Is poverty more prevalent in rural America?
Poverty and unemployment rates are higher and earnings growth lower in rural America than in metropolitan areas. Additionally, poor rural Americans may stay in poverty for longer periods of time. According to the Center for Rural Affairs, in nearly 25% of all rural counties, one in five people have been living below the poverty level for at least four decades. According to the most recent Census Bureau estimates, approximately 7.5 million persons, or 14.2 percent of the rural population, were poor in 2003 compared to 12.5 percent of the rest of the U.S.
