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A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category. The bureau defines persistent poverty as places that had a poverty rate of 20.0% or higher from 1989 to 2015-2019. It's different from chronic poverty, a term used to identify people consistently in poverty.
Research suggests people living in high poverty areas experience significant barriers to well-being whether or not they’re poor themselves. The longer poverty exists in an area, the more likely the community lacks adequate infrastructure and support services.
According to the bureau, these North Carolina counties are in persistent poverty:
Bertie
Bladen
Columbus
Halifax
Northampton
Pitt
Robeson
Washington
All of these counties lie in the state's Coastal Plain region. Bladen, Columbus and Robeson are in the southeast part of the state, while the rest lie in the northeast. Pitt and Robeson are by far the most populated counties in the group, with both with more than 100,000 residents while the others have less than 50,000.
A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category. The bureau defines persistent poverty as places that had a poverty rate of 20.0% or higher from 1989 to 2015-2019. It's different from chronic poverty, a term used to identify people consistently in poverty.
Research suggests people living in high poverty areas experience significant barriers to well-being whether or not they’re poor themselves. The longer poverty exists in an area, the more likely the community lacks adequate infrastructure and support services.
According to the bureau, these North Carolina counties are in persistent poverty:
Bertie
Bladen
Columbus
Halifax
Northampton
Pitt
Robeson
Washington
All of these counties lie in the state's Coastal Plain region. Bladen, Columbus and Robeson are in the southeast part of the state, while the rest lie in the northeast. Pitt and Robeson are by far the most populated counties in the group, with both with more than 100,000 residents while the others have less than 50,000.
Pitt's numbers may be skewed by the fact that they are taking into account low income college students over the age of 18. The median income is obviously lower when kids may be making 10k a year and you have a lot of them.
The rest look right. A few that arent listed that seem to be in the same category are Jones, Tyrrell, Hertford, Gates, Anson, and Duplin.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ozmoe571
A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category. The bureau defines persistent poverty as places that had a poverty rate of 20.0% or higher from 1989 to 2015-2019. It's different from chronic poverty, a term used to identify people consistently in poverty.
Research suggests people living in high poverty areas experience significant barriers to well-being whether or not they’re poor themselves. The longer poverty exists in an area, the more likely the community lacks adequate infrastructure and support services.
According to the bureau, these North Carolina counties are in persistent poverty:
Bertie
Bladen
Columbus
Halifax
Northampton
Pitt
Robeson
Washington
All of these counties lie in the state's Coastal Plain region. Bladen, Columbus and Robeson are in the southeast part of the state, while the rest lie in the northeast. Pitt and Robeson are by far the most populated counties in the group, with both with more than 100,000 residents while the others have less than 50,000.
I’m very familiar with Bladen and Columbus counties since most of my dad’s side of the family come from either of them counties. I fully buy the designation. All of my dad’s siblings and him joined the military simply because there was no path to opportunity if they stayed there. Also not the healthiest region of the state for medical care.
I visited there for the first time in nearly 10 years last November and it is a totally different world from Charlotte and Durham. Hell, it is a totally different world from even the Charlotte exurbs like Ablemarle and Gaston County.
OP says there's 11% on the list but lists 8, which would be 8%. Some missing?
As the first sentence states, "A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category." Not 11% of North Carolina counties, but nationwide.
As the first sentence states, "A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category." Not 11% of North Carolina counties, but nationwide.
Reading is fundamental and I failed in that! Hey at least NC is below the nationwide average on the positive side.
As the first sentence states, "A new U.S. Census Bureau report on persistent poverty finds almost 11% of counties in the United States fall under this category." Not 11% of North Carolina counties, but nationwide.
After some quick math; the combined population of these counties is slightly over 4% of North Carolina's total population (or 450,000 people). In general, these type of places (within a Nation such as ours where people are free to move) are a product of culture and choice.
In other words, people who reside in these places are culturally happy to be there and as such; they CHOOSE not to leave. I get it. If I owned a house (that's been in my family for several decades) and I'm able to sustain myself with a part time job and a part time side-hustle; what incentive do I have to move some place with "more opportunities" at a cost of $3,000/month rent? Probably very little incentive at all. In this age, I could run my little trucking business (in Charlotte) from my little cheap house in Aulander and live like a king in total privacy with my wife. My wife could find a decent paying practitioner job locally or continue to take travel contracts that pay more (which is the same thing she does here in Charlotte).
To be honest, such affordable areas like these would be an EASY come-up for a family of professionals who want space and privacy on the cheap. Retirement community investors should look at these counties as a potential moneymaker!!!
After some quick math; the combined population of these counties is slightly over 4% of North Carolina's total population (or 450,000 people). In general, these type of places (within a Nation such as ours where people are free to move) are a product of culture and choice.
In other words, people who reside in these places are culturally happy to be there and as such; they CHOOSE not to leave. I get it. If I owned a house (that's been in my family for several decades) and I'm able to sustain myself with a part time job and a part time side-hustle; what incentive do I have to move some place with "more opportunities" at a cost of $3,000/month rent? Probably very little incentive at all. In this age, I could run my little trucking business (in Charlotte) from my little cheap house in Aulander and live like a king in total privacy with my wife. My wife could find a decent paying practitioner job locally or continue to take travel contracts that pay more (which is the same thing she does here in Charlotte).
To be honest, such affordable areas like these would be an EASY come-up for a family of professionals who want space and privacy on the cheap. Retirement community investors should look at these counties as a potential moneymaker!!!
When I read that report initially the first thing I thought of was an overlay of how happy are those people. To your point, it might be a very conscious decision and they are happy with what they've got and no desire to chase a dollar.
After some quick math; the combined population of these counties is slightly over 4% of North Carolina's total population (or 450,000 people). In general, these type of places (within a Nation such as ours where people are free to move) are a product of culture and choice.
In other words, people who reside in these places are culturally happy to be there and as such; they CHOOSE not to leave. I get it. If I owned a house (that's been in my family for several decades) and I'm able to sustain myself with a part time job and a part time side-hustle; what incentive do I have to move some place with "more opportunities" at a cost of $3,000/month rent? Probably very little incentive at all. In this age, I could run my little trucking business (in Charlotte) from my little cheap house in Aulander and live like a king in total privacy with my wife. My wife could find a decent paying practitioner job locally or continue to take travel contracts that pay more (which is the same thing she does here in Charlotte).
To be honest, such affordable areas like these would be an EASY come-up for a family of professionals who want space and privacy on the cheap. Retirement community investors should look at these counties as a potential moneymaker!!!
Choice? While some people might be content with their current lifestyle and living situation, the lack of opportunities could mean there is little room for upward mobility. And, it's important to consider the impact on children. In an area with high persistent poverty, children may not have access to quality education or other resources necessary for their development. Over time, this perpetuates a cycle of poverty that could be challenging to break.
Choice? While some people might be content with their current lifestyle and living situation, the lack of opportunities could mean there is little room for upward mobility. And, it's important to consider the impact on children. In an area with high persistent poverty, children may not have access to quality education or other resources necessary for their development. Over time, this perpetuates a cycle of poverty that could be challenging to break.
Mostly culture, which is what breeds it as a choice that most people are content with. In terms of opportunity, Robeson and Bladen are both easily accessible to larger cities like Fayetteville and Wilmington, which are both well regarded nationwide in terms of economic development and growth, and offer extremely low-cost higher education options at both the university level and trade professions.
I think on a microlevel, such as by zip code, you'll find this to be true, particularly dealing with "persistent poverty" in counties like Durham and Guilford.
I do believe in the "cycle of poverty" being challenging to break, although I believe the majority of the challenge comes from mindset rather than available opportunity, at least here in the US. I mean theoretically, any 18-year-old male HS graduate in poverty can click Safari on their iPhone, go on "Indeed.com", set the location to the entire US, and apply for a bunch of random entry level labor jobs in industries like oil, rail, and construction. Not the best quality of life, but I'm sure it's better than poverty, and even more so, can be used to catapult into another field or earn enough money to learn another skillset. It's very possible, and in high demand, but most are not aware, and many are unwilling. They may end up in North Dakota for a year but hey, I hear it's beautiful country out there.
Last edited by Archer705; 05-28-2023 at 08:49 PM..
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