Facts and Figures About Children and Poverty


Last Updated: April 27, 2014
 

This article appeared in the April 2014 Rural Policy Matters.

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Question: Is a child more likely to live in poverty in a rural or urban area?

Answer: A rural area. Rural child poverty rates in 2012 were 26.7%, compared to 17.8% in urban areas. The percentage of children living in deep poverty was also higher for rural children. More than 12% of rural children (12.2%) and 9.2% of urban children lived in deep poverty in 2012. Poverty is defined as an annual cash income under $23,492 for a family of four. Deep poverty is defined as an annual cash income that is less than half the poverty level.

(Source: USDA Economic Research Service, March 2014; http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014-march/poverty-and-deep-poverty-increasing-in-rural-america.aspx#.U1fxriiJXjw)


Read more from the April 2014 Rural Policy Matters.