Recession Changing Geography of Poverty

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey shows that the poorest cities are concentrated in the south, along the Mexican border or in declining manufacturing centers in the rust belt.

"The most impoverished region is at the southern tip of Texas. The metropolitan statistical areas for McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, have the lowest incomes and most food stamp recipients of any in America. Finally, the industrial Midwest is creeping onto the list. The metropolitan areas around Saginaw, Mich., and Flint, Mich., have some of the worst poverty in the nation. Although per capita incomes are higher, the percentage of the population living below half of the poverty line is near 10% in both cities, and 15% of the populations are on food stamps."