[Vision2020] rural poverty

[Stephen Cooke]

FYI
Steve Cooke

COMPARISONS OF METROPOLITAN-NONMETROPOLITAN POVERTY DURING THE 1990'S

While the greater incidence of poverty in nonmetro relative to metro areas
is well documented, there is little research as to whether it is deeper or
more severe in nonmetro areas. This report examines metro-nonmetro
differences in U.S. poverty rates, using data from Current Population
Surveys (1991-2000) and poverty measures that are sensitive to income
distribution. The standard practice of examining only the headcount, or
incidence, of poverty provides the expected result that poverty is greater
in nonmetro areas in all 10 years of the 1990s. The poverty gap index, which
measures the depth of poverty, indicates that the difference in this measure
of poverty is statistically significant in 6 of the 10 years. When the
squared poverty gap index, a measure of severity, is examined, the estimate
of nonmetro poverty is greater than the metro measure in only 3 of the 10
years.

Released Wednesday, June 25, 2003

See http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rdrr96/