Twenty-two percent of rural children live in poverty, well above the national child poverty rate of 18 percent. Those living in rural areas face many barriers to economic opportunities, and often lack access to supportive and effective services and strong community networks. Because rural families and communities tend to be spread out, social and economic institutions also are few and far between.

Unique reasons for rural poverty

Educational aspirations of rural youth lag behind those of their non-rural counterparts. Data reveals that rural students do not aspire to post-secondary educational opportunities as frequently as urban and suburban students do. 1

Rural adults are less likely to have a college degree than urban residents, and the quality of rural educational systems is often sub-standard, especially in low-wealth counties. Both limit the ability of rural workers to secure good jobs, or to attract and create quality jobs in rural places.

Rural areas generally lack adequate infrastructure, from child care facilities, to public transportation, to information technology. This also poses barriers to work and to industries locating in rural areas.

Rural residents often have restricted job opportunites because they must rely on limited industries located near their homes. As a result, jobs are hard to find, and job advancement is more difficult.

Discrimination on the basis of race, social class, or gender persists in some rural areas, blocking opportunities for genuine social and economic advancement for all people in rural America. 2

1. Source of fact: Xu, Jianzhong, & Lyn Corno. (2006, March 10). Gender, Family Help and Homework Management Reported by Rural Middle School Students. Journal in Rural Education.
2. Source of fact: Rural Realities, Vol 1, Iss 1, published by the Rural Sociological Society.

Read Reuters article: Half of children in 17 U.S. counties live in poverty

Map of High Poverty Areas in the United States