Policy & Research INSIGHTS Changes in U.S. Poverty Rates, by
County, from 2007 to 2011 by Matthew Adams - On Wednesday, the
U.S. Census Bureau released its Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates for 2011, which provide the most accurate and detailed
poverty estimates nationwide each year. A recent methodological
breakthrough has allowed for the comparison of data from
previous years. To highlight and supplement the release of the
new data, ICPH created a visualization using a technique
originally publicized by the Bureau in the early 1970s. This map
graphic compares counties to the national poverty rate1 of 15.9%
in 2011 (upper left), and identifies changes in rates from 2007,
before the recession began (upper right). These two maps are
superimposed on a single map to show the relationship between
the two sets of data. In the areas where poverty increased,
there was variation by region. In 2011, 21% of counties in the
north were below the national rate (shown in light green), while
21% of counties in the sou