Econintersect: The Brookings Institute has published a study of poverty in America which finds some significant changes in the past decade. Many are aware that poverty has increased from less than 12% in 1999 to more than 15% in 2011, as reviewed in a recent EconMatters article posted at GEI Analysis. The Brookings reports goes into a detailed study of geographic and demographic aspects of the increase of poverty. EconMatters has published a summary and commentary of the Brookings report. Some of the Brookings conclusions that EconMatters summarized:
- Over ten years the number of Americans in poverty rose from 33.9 million to 46.2 million.
- There is an increasing concentration of poverty into neighborhoods with poverty levels above 40%.
- Suburban poverty is growing twice as fast as urban.
- Midwestern and southern industrial cities have been especially hard hit.
- Race (black) and education (no high school diploma) are significantly correlated to poverty.
Follow the link to EconMatters for more detailed discussion and selected graphics. The Brookings link is to the complete report.
Sources: EconMatters, GEI Analysis and Brookings Institute
