Rural Poverty Increases, While the U.S. Poverty Rate Remains Unchanged (Press Release)
Contact: Dan Stern, dan@ruralhome.org, 202-842-8600 ext. 137
Rural Poverty Increases, While the U.S. Poverty Rate Remains Unchanged
Washington, DC, Sep. 18, 2013– The number of rural Americans living in poverty increased significantly last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual report, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012, 46.5 million people, or 15.0 percent, of the U.S. population had incomes below the poverty line in 2012. The official poverty rate in rural areas (persons living outside of metropolitan areas), was 17.7 percent, nearly 3 percentage points higher than the national level. The poverty rate outside metro areas was up from 17.0 percent in 2011. Overall, 8.5 million people outside metropolitan areas had incomes below the poverty line in 2012, a statistically significant increase of more than 400,000 persons from the 2011 level.
Additionally, household incomes in rural America continue to lag behind those in suburban and urban areas. The Census Bureau estimated the national household median income at $51,017 in 2012 – not statistically different from the 2011 level. While household incomes were highest in metropolitan areas outside of central cities ($58,474), they were lowest outside of metropolitan areas ($41,198). The high proportion of low-skill and low-paying jobs in rural areas, combined with lower educational attainment levels, are substantial factors in the rural income divergence.
“There is a tendency to believe that the economic crisis is over. But today’s report highlights the reality that millions of American households still struggle with poverty and low incomes, especially in our rural communities. The number of rural persons in poverty is increasing and poverty rates are consistently higher in rural America than the nation as a whole,” says Moises Loza, Executive Director of the Housing Assistance Council (HAC).
For more information, download HAC’s Rural Research Note on the Census report and rural poverty.
About the Housing Assistance Council
HAC, founded in 1971, is a nonprofit corporation that supports the development of rural low-income housing nationwide. HAC provides technical housing services, loans from a revolving fund, housing program and policy assistance, research and demonstration projects, and training and information services. HAC is an equal opportunity lender.
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