Why are appalachian people poor

According to their Poverty Rate report, poverty rates across the US was Even within these states there is quite a difference between poverty rates. For example, in Virginia the statewide rate is The state with the worst poverty rate in the region is Kentucky with a In , the unemployment rate for the US was 6.

So it would be best to look at the per capita income of Appalachia against the entire US. One of the main poverty issues of Appalachia stems from the fact that the employed population of these states make significantly lower amounts of money than the rest of the US. Under this theory, out-of-state companies came into the region to exploit its rich natural resources, corrupted local governments to ensure their control, and left ordinary Appalachian people with little to show for it but mined out mountainsides.

However, the theory has also drawn its fair share of criticism. Additionally, in presenting a homogenous, victimized Appalachia, the theory can erase important differences within the region. In other words, the model can hide the role of powerful local actors like coal barons Don Blankenship and Jim Justice, and Senator Joe Manchin. Rather than focusing on insiders vs.

In light of this fact, LiKEN , Appalachian Voices, and other groups have started investigating land ownership in the region to help map the way to a post-coal future for Appalachia. As they continue their march to a brighter future, Appalachian activists would do well to recognize the subtle yet powerful ways stories of Appalachian poverty motivate, constrain, and direct their movement. Subscribe to The Patch, our newsletter , to stay up-to-date with new expatalachians articles and news from around Appalachia.

About Home Media Newsletter. But disability rates and poverty rates were also significantly higher in rural Appalachia than in other parts of rural America see Figure 2. Disability rates in Appalachia were higher in every age group, with a six-percentage point gap among those ages 35 to 64 and ages 65 and older. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Poverty rates in rural Appalachia were also higher, with at least a six-percentage point gap in every age group.

Nearly one-third of young adults ages 18 to 24 were in poverty in rural Appalachia in —a rate even higher than that among children. The Appalachian Region encompasses , square miles along the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi, including portions of 12 states and all of West Virginia. It includes detailed tables and county-level maps covering state- and county-level data on population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy and tenure, housing type, education, computer ownership and internet access, labor force participation, employment and unemployment, transportation and commuting, income and poverty, health insurance coverage, disability status, migration patterns, and veteran status.

It also includes a detailed comparison of characteristics in rural Appalachian counties with those outside the Region. The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on counties across the Appalachian Region.