Examining the Relationship Between the Poverty Rate and Economic Conditions in the Southern United States

Abstract

This article documents the historical trend of higher poverty rates in the South compared to the rest of the country. It examines any differences that might exist in how the poverty population in the country as a whole and the poverty population in the South respond to different economic and demographic factors. Economic factors, such as unemployment and wages, impact poverty populations similarly, in terms of sign and significance but have smaller impacts on poverty populations. After testing, it is shown that poverty populations in the South do not respond in similar fashions to the rest of the country regarding demographic factors, such as households headed by single females or non-whites.