Traditional government measurements may underestimate the needs of remote rural areas

According to researchers at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Salvation Army, "persistent pockets of poverty in rural America may not be apparent from traditional government measures like unemployment data, SNAP [food stamps] usage and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Poverty Report." The two organizations have partnered since 2015 to create and update the Human Needs Index, a way of measuring human needs such as food and shelter that they say is more accurate than government tools.

The newest report, from September 2017, says that states with more remote rural areas -- such as Nevada, Colorado and Michigan -- have higher levels of need than indicated by government data-gathering measures. "One potential explanation for remote states' showing higher levels of need than those indicated by government measures is that households in remote areas may face challenges in accessing government services. If need in these states is not being identified or met by government services, it would be expected that these states would have higher HNI values, since The Salvation Army provides services to households located in remote areas," said Salvation Army spokesperson Kurt Watkins in a press release.

To read more about the Human Needs Index overall (including reports and downloadable infographics), click here.