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Typology of American Poverty

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  • David J. Peters

    (Iowa State University e-mail: dpeters@iastate.edu)

Abstract

This analysis seeks to better understand the geography of American poverty over time. Cluster analysis is used to group 34,908 minor civil divisions according to their similarity in mean-centered poverty rates from 1980 to 2000. Logistic regression is used to asses the groupings' statistical validity and accuracy. Results identify twelve statistically distinct groupings and that over three thousand subcounty places had poverty rates of nearly 20 percent above the national average going back to 1980. However, less than 50 percent of these fall within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Persistent Poverty Counties. The new typology shows the diversity of poverty in terms and identifies places based on poverty's relative severity. The typology also uniquely identifies places that moved into and out of high poverty and identifies many poor places that are ``statistically invisible'' using existing typologies. Results show that correlates of poverty identified in the literature generally hold true across smaller geographic scales.

Suggested Citation

  • David J. Peters, 2009. "Typology of American Poverty," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 32(1), pages 19-39, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:32:y:2009:i:1:p:19-39
    DOI: 10.1177/0160017608325795
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hema Swaminathan & Jill L. Findeis, 2004. "Policy Intervention and Poverty in Rural America," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1289-1296.
    2. Bruce Weber & Leif Jensen & Kathleen Miller & Jane Mosley & Monica Fisher, 2005. "A Critical Review of Rural Poverty Literature: Is There Truly a Rural Effect?," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 28(4), pages 381-414, October.
    3. Mark D. Partridge & Dan S. Rickman, 2005. "High-Poverty Nonmetropolitan Counties in America: Can Economic Development Help?," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 28(4), pages 415-440, October.
    4. Crandall, Mindy S. & Weber, Bruce A., 2004. "Local Social And Economic Conditions, Spatial Concentrations Of Poverty, And Poverty Dynamics," Working Papers 18916, Oregon State University, Rural Poverty Research Center (RPRC).
    5. William Levernier & Mark D. Partridge & Dan S. Rickman, 2000. "The Causes of Regional Variations in U.S. Poverty: A Cross‐County Analysis," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 473-497, August.
    6. Mark D. Partridge & Dan S. Rickman, 2006. "The Geography of American Poverty: Is There a Need for Place-Based Policies?," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number gap, November.
    7. Mindy S. Crandall & Bruce A. Weber, 2004. "Local Social and Economic Conditions, Spatial Concentrations of Poverty, and Poverty Dynamics," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1276-1281.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peters, David J., 2013. "Understanding the Poverty U-turn Across Geographic Scales in the American Midwest, 1980-2010," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 43(2).
    2. David J. Peters, 2011. "Place-Based Income Inequality Clusters in the Rural North Central Region, 1979–2009," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 33(2), pages 222-240.
    3. Khatiwada, Lila K., 2014. "Modeling and Explaining County-level Prosperity in the U.S," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 44(2).

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