MULITDEMSIONAL POVERTY IN NORTH CAROLINA

Abstract

North Carolina has one-hundred counties spread over three main geographic areas: Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Mountains. Each of these regions differs widely in population and the official poverty rate. For example, the official poverty rate in Union County is 7 percent while Scotland County, North Carolina's poorest county, has an official poverty rate of 29.7 percent. As a generalization, we find that the highest levels of official poverty are concentrated in the Mountain and Coastal plains regions.