Appalachian commission's report on its region has some good news and some soberingly stubborn challenges

Poverty is down in parts of Appalachia, says a new report from the Appalachian Regional Commission; median income has also increased, as has the number of residents with college degrees; however, the report also reveals areas of continued poverty and an aging population.

ARC map from Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2017-21 

Child and adult poverty have stubbornly remained in the same 77 Appalachian counties for decades. The commission says child poverty in its 13-state region was 19.8 percent in 2017-21, "almost three percentage points above the national rate of 17 percent. And the problem is even more acute in some parts of Appalachia. In 76 counties, at least 30 percent of children under age 18 lived below the poverty level." The share of Appalachian residents 18 to 64 in poverty was 14 percent, more than two percentage points above the U.S. average of 11.8 percent."

While broadband access is "considered essential infrastructure,"Appalachians have less access than the rest of the country. "In 2017-2021, 89.5 percent of households in the Appalachian region had one or more computer devices (desktop or laptop, smartphone, tablet, or another device)—nearly four points below the national average," the Commission reports. "The share is even lower in some parts of the region: It was below 80 percent in 36 of Appalachia's 423 counties. All but three of these counties were outside metropolitan areas, and more than half were in the most rural areas."

ARC map from Census Bureau 2017-21 American Community Survey

Historically, the region has struggled with educational competencies, but the number of people with college degrees has increased. The commission reports, "Although the percentage of Appalachian adults ages 25 and over with at least a bachelor's degree is considerably lower than the national average, that share has been increasing at close to the same pace as in the nation as a whole. Both in Appalachia and nationwide, it was about three percentage points higher in 2017-21 than it was in 2012-16, suggesting a continued trend toward greater educational attainment in the region. In 107 of the region's 423 counties (scattered throughout the region), the share increases matched or exceeded the national average of 3.4 points."

Appalachia's median age is older than the rest of the country, and like most of the nation, the older age groups are increasing "at the expense of younger age groups," the commission reports: "The share of residents ages 65 and over . . . exceeded the national average by more than two percentage points in 2021. Moreover, the percentage of persons in this age group matched or exceeded the U.S. share in 376 of the 423 Appalachian counties—and was at least 19.1 percent in 291 of them. In both the United States and Appalachia. . . . The share of Appalachia's population under age 18 is 1.4 percentage points lower in mid-2021 than it was in mid-2010, and the share ages 25 to 64 is 1.9 points lower."