Poverty rates rise in the southern United States

According to the official U.S. poverty rate, about 11.5 percent of Americans lived below the poverty line in 2022, or 37.9 million people. This statistic is based on the average poverty rate by state from 2020 to 2022. The South has higher poverty rates than other regions. How so?

States in the southern United States have high poverty rates. For example, New Mexico (18.2 percent), Mississippi (17.8 percent), Louisiana (16.9 percent), Arkansas (15.9 percent), and Kentucky (15.8 percent) have the highest poverty rates. Many of these states have large rural areas that have historically been poorer than urban areas.

Economic factors

Southern states also suffer from low levels of education and low labor force participation. This leads to slower economic growth and lower personal incomes. For example, of the 15 states with the lowest GDP per worker, 9 are in the South. States like Kentucky and Arkansas have some of the lowest labor force participation rates among the most employed age groups.

At the regional level, nearly one in five counties in the South faces persistent poverty. The poverty rate has remained above 20 percent for three decades. More than 80 percent of all long-term poverty counties in the United States are in the South.

Key points:

• About 11.5 percent of Americans lived below the poverty line in 2022.
• 37.9 million people faced poverty in the United States in 2022.
• The South suffers from higher poverty rates compared to other regions.

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