By — Megan Thompson Megan Thompson Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/poverty-rate-drops-slightly-suburban-poverty-still-bleak Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter National poverty rate drops slightly, but suburban poverty still bleak Nation Oct 18, 2014 12:28 PM EDT The poverty rate in the U.S. registered its first drop in the U.S. since 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau reported, falling from 15 percent in 2012 to 14.5 percent in 2013. But a Brookings Institution analysis finds that the situation remains bleak in American suburbs. Between 2000 and 2013, the number of suburban poor people increased by 66 percent — more than twice as fast as the growth of urban poor. Today, more people live in the suburbs than anywhere else, and about 56 percent of the nation’s poor population live in suburbs. The numbers have gotten worse since PBS NewsHour reported on suburban poverty last year. Watch below. Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multi-platform public media initiative that provides a deeper understanding of the impact of poverty on American society. Major funding for this initiative is provided by The JPB Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Ford Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Megan Thompson Megan Thompson Megan Thompson shoots, produces and reports on-camera for PBS NewsHour Weekend. Her report "Costly Generics" earned an Emmy nomination and won Gracie and National Headliner Awards. She was also recently awarded a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship to report on the issue of mental health. Previously, Thompson worked for the PBS shows and series Need to Know, Treasures of New York, WorldFocus and NOW on PBS. Prior to her career in journalism she worked in research and communications on Capitol Hill. She originally hails from the great state of Minnesota and holds a BA from Wellesley College and a MA in Journalism from New York University. @megbthompson
The poverty rate in the U.S. registered its first drop in the U.S. since 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau reported, falling from 15 percent in 2012 to 14.5 percent in 2013. But a Brookings Institution analysis finds that the situation remains bleak in American suburbs. Between 2000 and 2013, the number of suburban poor people increased by 66 percent — more than twice as fast as the growth of urban poor. Today, more people live in the suburbs than anywhere else, and about 56 percent of the nation’s poor population live in suburbs. The numbers have gotten worse since PBS NewsHour reported on suburban poverty last year. Watch below. Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multi-platform public media initiative that provides a deeper understanding of the impact of poverty on American society. Major funding for this initiative is provided by The JPB Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Ford Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now