Poverty Spreads to the Suburbs
Courtesy of Brookings Institution
The spread of poverty to the suburbs has accelerated tremendously over the past decade. In 2005, even before the economic downturn in 2008, more poor people lived in the nation’s suburbs than in cities. Metropolitan Atlanta is one of the regions struggling with this issue.
The number of suburban residents living below the federal poverty line in the United States has more than doubled since 1970. Poverty rates, or the percentage of the population that is poor, remain much higher in American cities than in suburbs as a rule. Suburban poverty rates, however, have increased by 50% on average since 1990.
Allard, S., and Paisner, S. (2016). The Rise of Suburban Poverty. Oxford Handbooks Online.