What is the status of the working poor in rural America?
The majority, 65%, of rural and non-metro poverty-level households reported in 1990 at least one wage-earner. Falling wages in almost every industry between 1980 and 1990 left a significant mark on the rural economy, while job earnings in agricultural services, construction, retail trade and finance industries declined by 21% to 28%. These factors have contributed to the falling median household income in rural America. Twenty-five percent of the Nation’s poor live in rural areas; about 30 percent of the poor who are full-time, full-year workers live in rural areas.
