Poverty Spreads to the Suburbs

Infographic titled "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America: What's Driving the Rapid Rise of Poverty in the Suburbs?" from 2013. — **“Confronting Suburban Poverty in America” infographic, 2013**
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.

Maps of the United States titled "Percent Change in the Suburban Poor Population," 2000 to 2021.

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.