Rural Poverty Increases, While the U.S. Poverty Rate Remains Unchanged

The number of rural Americans living in poverty increased significantly last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, the official poverty rate for the United States was 15.0 percent in 2012 – statistically unchanged from the 2011 level. 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.