Poverty Among Black Families in the Nonmetro South

Nearly all black families in nonmetro areas live in the South. There they have a higher poverty rate than black families in other regions; 35 percent had incomes below the poverty threshold in 1979. Poverty is particularly prevalent among black families in the nonmetro South with a female householder—56 percent of them were poor in 1979. Income problems of these families and of their poor white counterparts appear to be related to factors such as low levels of education, young or old age, and work disabilities. Those poor black family members who are employed are concentrated in low-wage jobs.