Short-Term Poor Need Help, Too

About a third of the nonmetro population had income below the poverty level for at least 1 month in a recent 12-month period. Poverty, however, does not affect all nonmetro people equally. For example, 71 percent of nonmetro whites escaped poverty altogether, while 62 percent of nonmetro blacks lived in poverty at least 1 month. This look at short episodes of rural poverty helps point out gaps in welfare coverage. Current welfare programs are targeted at groups, such as single-parent households, that are more common among the 12-month poor. The programs are less likely to serve people who are poor for shorter periods of time.