Figure 2.11 Rural poverty rate, by province, 2017 (2024)

FAQs

What was the poverty rate in 2017? ›

About 39.7 million people, or 12.3 percent of the nation's population, lived below the official poverty level in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Overall, children remain the poorest age group in the nation. In total, 39.7 million poor people in America were poor in 2017 and a third of them were children. Nearly 1 in 5 children—17.5 percent—were poor in 2017, compared with 11.2 percent of people ages 18-64 and 9.2 percent of people ages 65 and older.

Data show U.S. poverty rates in 2019 higher in rural areas than in urban for racial/ethnic groups. Across all races and ethnicities, U.S. poverty rates in 2019 were higher at 15.4 percent in nonmetro (rural) areas than in metro (urban) areas at 11.9 percent.

Poverty Over Time

According to the most recent estimates from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), the nonmetro poverty rate was 15.4 percent in 2019, compared with 11.9 percent for metro areas. Nonmetro poverty fell 3.0 percentage points from 2013, when it reached its 30-year peak of 18.4 percent.

The official poverty rate in 2017 was 12.3 percent, down 0.4 percentage points from 12.7 percent in 2016. This is the third consecutive annual decline in poverty. Since 2014, the poverty rate has fallen 2.5 percentage points, from 14.8 percent to 12.3 percent.

In 2017, approximately 39.7 million people, or 12.3% of the population, had incomes below the official definition of poverty in the United States. The poverty rate (the percentage that were in poverty), fell from 12.7% in 2016, while the number of persons in poverty showed no discernible change.

According to the new estimates, the national child poverty rate declined from 21.2% in the 2012-2016 period to 17.0% in the 2017-2021 period. But it was still 4.4 percentage points higher than the ACS national overall poverty rate of 12.6% during the same period.

On the positive side, California's official poverty rate of 13.3% for 2017 was lower compared to the previous year, when it was 14.3%. The state's official child poverty rate also dropped to 18.1% in 2017, from a rate of 19.9% in 2016.

The highest poverty rate on record was 22 percent (1950s). The lowest was 10.5% (2019).

Just more than 5 million rural residents, or about 12 percent of the U.S. rural population, lived in counties that had high and persistent poverty rates in 2019. Of those, 1.5 million were individually poor, accounting for 20 percent of the total rural poor population in the United States.

Why is poverty higher in rural areas? ›

Rural poverty often stems from limited access to markets, education, quality infrastructure, employment opportunities, health, and financial products. Urban poverty is often marred by weak or hazardous living conditions related to sanitation, employment, and personal security.

Rates of poverty are higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, in 2019 15.4% of people living in rural areas had an income below the federal poverty line, while those living in urban areas had a poverty rate of only 11.9%.

While urban poverty is a unique challenge, rates of poverty have historically been higher in rural than urban areas. In fact, levels of rural poverty were often double those in urban areas throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

If it wasn't for migration, rural America would have experienced a population drop since 2020. But Johnson's study discovered rural growth in the 15 months after the 2020 Census as rural America grew by approximately 77,000 residents.

The 46 million U.S. residents living in rural areas in 2020 made up 14 percent of the U.S. population. A typical rural county contained less than 10 percent of the population of a typical urban county in 2020—23,000 people compared with 245,000.

The U.S. median household income from the 2017 ACS was $60,336 (see Table 1). This was the fifth consecutive year with an increase in the ACS estimate of median household income for the nation. The 2017 U.S. median household income was the highest since full implementation of the ACS in 2005 (see Figure 1).

Current estimates on poverty in the U.S. The official poverty rate is 11.6 percent, based on the U.S. Census Bureau's estimates for 2021. That year, an estimated 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure. Neither the rate nor the number differed significantly from 2020.

There are 37.9 million Americans living in poverty, accounting for 11.6% of the total population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The total family income divided by the poverty threshold is called the Ratio of Income to Poverty.

To calculate the percentage of the poverty level, divide income by the poverty guideline and multiply by 100.

How do we measure poverty? ›

The Census Bureau determines poverty status by using an official poverty measure (OPM) that compares pre-tax cash income against a threshold that is set at three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963 and adjusted for family size.

For a family or household of 4 persons living in one of the 48 contiguous states or the District of Columbia, the poverty guideline for 2017 is $24,600. Separate poverty guideline figures are developed for Alaska and Hawaii, and different guidelines may apply to the Territories.

Lack of access to basic services, education and employment opportunities all serve to perpetuate poverty. Climate change is a major contributor to poverty and deaths in the world.

Mississippi had among the highest average poverty rates (21.0%). It was the only state with a poverty rate of 20% or more. New Hampshire had the lowest average poverty rate (7.3%).

Between 2015 and 2016, the poverty rate for children under age 18 declined from 19.7 to 18.0 percent.

The monthly child poverty rate increased from 12.1 percent in December 2021 to 17 percent in January 2022, the highest rate since the end of 2020. The 4.9 percentage point (41 percent) increase in poverty represents 3.7 million more children in poverty due to the expiration of the monthly Child Tax Credit payments.

Among the OECD countries, Costa Rica had the highest share of children living in poverty, reaching 27.3 percent in 2020. Türkiye followed with a share of 22.4 percent of children living in poverty, while 22 percent of children in Israel did the same.

Poverty rates were highest in the states of Mississippi (19.58%), Louisiana (18.65%), New Mexico (18.55%), West Virginia (17.10%), Kentucky (16.61%), and Arkansas (16.08%), and they were lowest in the states of New Hampshire (7.42%), Maryland (9.02%), Utah (9.13%), Hawaii (9.26%), and Minnesota (9.33%).

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States has witnessed a historic decline in poverty in recent years. Poverty rates fell sharply during the decade following the end of the 2007–09 recession and preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, lifting millions out of poverty.

Where are the poorest places in America? ›

rural. adjective. ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl. : of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture.

70% of India's population lives in rural areas.

Rural areas will see slow growth rates.

Between 2020 and 2030, rural populations are projected to increase by only 1 percent, compared with 8 percent in urban areas. The nation's household growth will be driven by metropolitan areas.

Rural poverty results from inequalities in groups, households and individuals to access resources (such as income, land, inputs, capital, education and public transfer payments), their ability to use these resources, and their ownership of them.

In 2021 the poverty rate in the United States was highest among people under the age of 18, with a rate of 16.87 percent for male Americans and a rate of 17 percent for female Americans. The lowest poverty rate for both men and women was for those aged between 65 and 74.

According to the 2015 American Community Survey, median household income for rural households was $52,386, about 4.0 percent lower than the median for urban households, $54,296. About 13.3 percent of people in rural areas lived in families with incomes below the official poverty thresholds.

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. The most rural place in the United States is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in Central Alaska. This swath of territory covers a whopping 145,505 square miles—about the same size as all of Montana.

Many of the rural poor are family farmers, subsistence producers, or landless agricultural workers. They include fisherfolk, pastoralists, and forest-dependent peoples with limited access to productive means. Rural families increasingly depend on non-farm incomes.

Are rural families poor? ›

Child poverty is much higher in rural vs.

Nationally, about one in five children lives in a family with income below the poverty threshold; more than one in four rural children lives in poverty, with even higher rates for rural children of color.

Rural areas have less air pollution, because there is not as much congestion from cars, and you don't have the manufacturing facilities found in urban areas. Less Crime. Rural areas do not have as much crime as a higher populated urban area. This also makes insuring your property cheaper due to a lower crime rate.

Since the 19th century, various forces — declining employment in agricultural and extractive industries, the globalization of manufacturing, and economic growth in urban areas — have led many people to leave rural communities for cities and suburbs.

Employment and educational opportunities are cited as the most common pull factors associated with rural-to-urban migration. Poverty, food insecurity, and lack of opportunities in rural areas are a consequence of uneven economic development and push people to urban areas where development has been greater.

Americans in urban areas are living longer, on average, than Americans in rural areas, and that divide is growing wider, new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch shows. In 2005-2009 life expectancy was 78.8 in urban areas compared to 76.8 in rural areas.

Rural population, percent of total population, 2021 - Country rankings: The average for 2021 based on 196 countries was 39.3 percent. The highest value was in Papua New Guinea: 86.54 percent and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021.

Uttar Pradesh has the largest proportion of rural population in India.It has 155 million rural population.

Small population size typically characterizes a rural place, but how small is rural? Population thresholds used to differentiate rural and urban communities range from 2,500 up to 50,000, depending on the definition.

U.S. poverty rate for 2019 was 1.70%, a 0% increase from 2018. U.S. poverty rate for 2018 was 1.70%, a 0.3% decline from 2017. U.S. poverty rate for 2017 was 2.00%, a 0% increase from 2016. U.S. poverty rate for 2016 was 2.00%, a 0.2% decline from 2015.

Mississippi. Mississippi tops the list as the poorest state in the US, with an alarming poverty rate of 18.70%. Despite its rich history and cultural heritage, the state faces numerous economic challenges, including limited job opportunities, low wages, and a high percentage of residents living below the poverty line.

What is the highest poverty rate in the US? ›

Mississippi had among the highest average poverty rates (21.0%). It was the only state with a poverty rate of 20% or more. New Hampshire had the lowest average poverty rate (7.3%).

The official poverty rate for children under 18 followed a similar narrative – decreasing by 0.7 percentage points to 15.3 percent in 2021. Conversely, there was an increase in poverty of 1.4 percentage points, from 8.9 percent to 10.3 percent, for Americans 65 years or older under the official rate.

The U.S. has far and away the highest rates of poverty in the developed world. In addition, the extent of U.S. income and wealth inequality also tends to be extreme when compared to other industrialized countries.

This was the third consecutive year since the most recent recession that the poverty rate has fallen. The poverty rate for female-householder families (25.7%) was higher in 2017 than that for male-householder families (12.4%) or married-couple families (4.9%).

There are 37.9 million Americans living in poverty, accounting for 11.6% of the total population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Poverty can also limit access to educational and employment opportunities, which further contributes to income inequality and perpetuates cyclical effects of poverty. Unmet social needs, environmental factors, and barriers to accessing health care contribute to worse health outcomes for people with lower incomes.

The national average salary in 2021 was $58,260, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

National average income: The national average U.S. income in 2021 was $97,962. The median U.S. income in 2021 was $69,717.

What Is the Average US Salary (2022) The national average salary is $60,575. That is the sum of all incomes divided by the number of workers. Where someone lives, their industry, education level, and current demand for that job all contribute to how much a worker earns per year.