Poverty Rates in Alabama
In a Failing Economy Poor Families are Hit Harder
On the national scale, Alabama has the 7th highest poverty rate at 16.1% of its population. It only has one county in which the poverty rate is in single-digits, and that is Shelby County with a poverty rate of seven percent.
Alabama’s poverty rate is just slightly better than the poverty rates of Texas and West Virginia, and just slightly higher than the poverty rate of Arkansas.
Where the Worst Poverty in Alabama Occurs
The most critical levels of poverty in Alabama occur in a string of counties that stretches horizontally through the central-southern part of the state (see map below article).
This prairie region of Alabama is a highly rural area, where it usually takes more than a minute or two to go say hi to your next-door neighbor.
More specifically, critical levels of poverty (at least 50% above the state average) occur in the following counties:
- Bullock (30.3%)
- Dallas (27.4%)
- Greene (26.5%)
- Lowndes (25.5%)
- Macon (28.3%)
- Perry (30.4%)
- Sumter (28.3%)
- Wilcox (30.4%)
Critical levels of poverty also occur in the following major cities (25,000 or more people):
- Auburn (38.1%)
- Bessemer (27.2%)
- Birmingham (24.7%)
Why the Worst Poverty in Alabama Exists
The isolation of the extreme poverty to a string of counties in central-southern Alabama is a major cause of the perpetuation of poverty by itself. When the extremely poor in the state are isolated, the areas in which they live can become stigmatized.
This negative view of the areas discourages businesses from setting up shop, which causes a rise in unemployment. It also makes the area an unattractive choice for teachers and health care professionals, leading to poor quality education and health care.
Politicians are less interested in these areas because of the great difficulty in reaching all of them, the negative stigma attached to the areas, and the minimal amount of votes that the area would yield.
All of this aside, it is important to keep in mind that the reasons for poverty are as unique as the individuals who live through it. Though finding trends in a specific area is important, no generalization can account for everyone.
What is Being Done about Poverty in Alabama
Though the Alabama legislature has made moves to help end poverty in the past, there is no evidence of any sincere major efforts to address the problem since the Alabama Enterprise Zone Act of 1987.
Since then, the problem has grown larger than one that can be solved by tax incentives, and the task has been taken up by several small non-profit organizations working to link communities together and end isolation.
One such organization is the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE). This program is attempting a first step towards bringing economic prosperity to small towns in Alabama (between 2,000 and 12,000 people).
Its strategy involves bringing together the private sector, universities, and government agencies in order to help a limited number of rural towns that appear capable of and committed to economic development.
Another organization working to link communities together is the Alabama Poverty Project. The APP says that they are “especially interested in facilitating coalitions between religious, business and higher education organizations dedicated to empowering the poor and eliminating poverty.”
Whether these small efforts to bring the poor in Alabama out of isolation will be successful or not is a question that can only be answered by the support they receive.
References:
United States Census Bureau
Alabama Poverty Project
Alabama Communities of Excellence
