Median income in Appalachia increased last year, but remained less than four-fifths the national median, and more people in the region were in poverty, according to a Census Bureau survey released today.
"Median incomes were up in all the 13 states that make up Appalachia except Kentucky, where the median income was $39,678," The Associated Press reports. "However, with the exception of Maryland and Virginia, those incomes across Appalachia still were below the national median of $50,233."
The number of Appalachians with household incomes below the federal poverty line grew 114,000 to 13.3 million, reports AP's P.J. Dickerscheid. That and the income data suggest that income inequality is growing in Appalachia; the national Census report said "Income inequality decreased between 2006 and 2007."
More from the national report: "Real median household income in the United States climbed 1.3 percent between 2006 and 2007, reaching $50,233, ... Meanwhile, the nation’s official poverty rate in 2007 was 12.5 percent, not statistically different from 2006."
The numbers come from the bureau's American Community Survey, a large-scale poll. "In the 2007 ACS, among states and the District of Columbia, poverty rates ranged from 7.1 percent for New Hampshire to 20.6 percent for Mississippi," the bureau said in a news release. (Read more)
Income inequality has been growing nationally for decades, Steven Pearlstein writes for The Washington Post. To read his analysis, click here.
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