Rural Counties Rank First in Extreme Poverty Rates

WASHINGTON, DC – Rural communities face some unique challenges, from a lack of reliable broadband service to declining populations. According to information from the Economic Research Service (ERS), poverty might just top the list of problems for rural counties. Extreme poverty is defined as a rate where 40 percent or greater of the population lives below the Federal poverty rate and ERS has determined all were located in Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Dakota. In 2018, every county that suffered from persistent poverty – where an average of 20 percent or more of the population lived below the Federal poverty level for an average of five years – were located in rural America. ERS explains that the poverty line in 2018 for a family of three was $20,212.
(SOURCE: Economic Research Service)