Poverty Rates in North Carolina
Where do the Poorest Americans in the State Live
With a poverty rate of 13.8%, North Carolina has the 14th highest poverty rate in the United States. This is just slightly lower than the poverty rate of Oklahoma, and slightly higher than the poverty rate of Georgia.
Where the Worst Poverty in North Carolina Occurs
North Carolina is one of the only states where critical poverty rates are found in so many different types of counties and major cities.
The counties of North Carolina that experience critical poverty rates are rural counties, urban counties, and counties with major Native American reservations within them (see map below article).
The counties in North Carolina with critical rates of poverty (at least 50% above the state average) include the following:
- Bertie (21.3%)
- Columbus (21.1%)
- Edgecombe (21.5%)
- Halifax (23.2%)
- Hertford (20.8%)
- Northampton (20.9%)
- Robeson (23.8%)
- Tyrrell (23.5%)
- Vance (20.7%)
- Warren (21.8%)
Poverty rates also reach critical levels in the following major cities (25,000 or more people):
- Chapel City (21.6%)
- Greenville (26.1%)
- Wilson (21.6%)
Why the Worst Poverty in North Carolina Exists
The most critical rates of poverty in North Carolina exist for many different sets of reasons.
In counties like Robeson and Halifax, there is a serious isolation problem between the Native American reservations of the Lumbee and Saponi Tribes and the rest of the state.
Native Americans living on these reservations often times feel forgotten, or pushed to the side, by the United States government.
There is a serious negative stigma associated with these reservations which makes it harder on the residents, suicide rates are extremely high, and they have little to no political voice.
Other places where isolation is a big problem are the more rural areas of counties like Bertie, Northampton, and Tyrrell.
In some poor rural areas like this it can be much harder to access basic utilities such as electricity, clean water, and a sanitary sewage system.
Also, due to very low population density, the nearest school or hospital could be a great distance away over poorly maintained roads.
This isolation leads to a lack of a political voice, which is very similar to the problems experienced by people living on Native American reservations.
In the more urban areas, the cost of living compared to working-class wages is a huge problem.
Since people living in urban areas are completely reliant on the market for all of their most basic needs, if the minimum wage is too low in any particular area and people can’t afford all of their basic needs, pockets of poverty will form and expand within the city.
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 North Carolina
Though poverty in rural areas, urban areas, and Native American reservations can all be fought in very different ways, there are some nationwide organizations that come through for working-class people in all areas of the United States.
Examples of some of these charitable and outreach organizations include Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Red Cross, United Way, and many others.
Other allies of the poor in urban areas especially include legislators like the North Carolina Senator, John Edwards, who have worked to improve all aspects of life for the poorest Americans through actions such as raising the minimum wage.
References:
United States Census Bureau
