One out of every six rural Americans – more than 8.2 million people – lives in poverty, according to a report by the Census Bureau. The rural poverty rate of 16.5 percent for 2014 was not statistically different than the 2013 rate. As usual, the rural rate was higher than the rate in cities, which was 14.5 percent, and the overall U.S. rate of 14.8 percent. The poverty line for a family of four was $24,230.
“For the fourth consecutive year, the number of people in poverty at the national level was not statistically different from the previous year,” said the Census report. Nor was median household income significantly different. The 2014 poverty rate is 2.3 percentage points higher than before the 2008-09 recession, and median household income adjusted for inflation is 6.5 percent lower than in 2007.
Similarly, the rural poverty rate, which has ranged from 16.5-17.7 percent since 2009, is higher than the pre-recession rate of around 15 percent. Median household income in rural America was not significantly different than the preceding year. The U.S. median income of $53,657 was18 percent higher than the rural median of $45,482.
“The nation continues to be plagued by an uneven recovery, stagnant wages, inadequate public safety-net programs, and rampant inequality, said Jim Weill, president of the anti-hunger group Food Action and Research Council. “While the recession technically may be long over, most families are still reeling from its effects and the plodding recovery.”
The think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the “disappointing” poverty rate was a reflection of stagnant wages despite an additional 2.8 million full-time workers than in 2018. “Without the safety net, the picture would have been much worse,” said CBPP. As as example, it said food stamps lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty in 2014.
Conditions in rural America looked somewhat better when the effect of noncash benefits, such as food and housing subsidies, are considered along with tax credits. Under the “supplemental poverty measure,” the rural rate was 12.8 percent, 3 points lower than the urban rate. The official poverty rate is based on pre-tax cash income.