America's New Geography of Poverty

NBC News looks at the plight of the Simons family in West Hartford, Connecticut, to examine the growth of suburban poverty in the United States.

1 minute read

March 23, 2013, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"The number of suburban residents living in poverty rose by nearly 64 percent between 2000 and 2011, to about 16.4 million people, according to a Brookings Institution analysis of 95 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas," reports Allison Linn. "That’s more than double the rate of growth for urban poverty in those areas."

“I think we have an outdated perception of where poverty is and who it is affecting,” said Elizabeth Kneebone, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the research. “We tend to think of it as a very urban and a very rural phenomenon, but it is increasingly suburban.”

Linn describes the challenges facing Tara Simons, the single mother of 14-year-old Alexis, who struggles to keep her head above water on a $14 an hour salary.

FULL STORY: Sprawling and struggling: Poverty hits America's suburbs

Friday, March 22, 2013 in NBCnews.com

Social / Demographics Connecticut Suburbs Poverty

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