In the United States, poverty is still a big problem. People in the U.S. have lived below the poverty line for anywhere from 31.6 million to 48.8 million years, with the poverty rate going up and down between 11.7% and 16.3%.
Being poor affects more than just money. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Pulse Survey, 38% of adults making less than $25,000 say they feel depressed or hopeless most days, while only 17% of all adults say the same. Also, 3 times as many adults with low incomes (27%) have gone without food, compared to the general community.
One person in North Carolina makes $15,060 a year, and a family of four makes $31,200 a year. Thirteen percent of the people living there are below these levels. Things are worse in a lot of places.
24/7 Wall St. found the North Carolina towns with the highest poverty rates by using predictions from the Census’s 2022 American Community Survey that were made over five years.
Here are some towns in the state with the highest poverty rates:
Forest City
Laurinburg
Williamston
Roxboro
Mount Airy
Reidsville
Lumberton
Siler City
Kinston
Rockingham
The 2022 Census shows that poverty rates in places like Forest City, Laurinburg, and Williamston range from 32% to 38.9%, and unemployment rates are higher than the state average of 5%.
The problem is made worse by the fact that few people in these areas have bachelor’s degrees, which makes it harder to get higher-paying jobs.
Even though the U.S. has a big impact on the world economy, poverty is still a big problem that affects the mental health, social well-being, and general life expectancy of millions of Americans.
In North Carolina, places with high rates of poverty show how hard it is to deal with persistent economic inequality.