Poverty in the Rural West at the Beginning
of the 21st Century: Similar to or Different
from the Rest of the Nation?
Annabel Kirschner, Professor
Department of Community and Rural Sociology
Washington State University
kirschner@wsu.edu
http://www.crs.wsu.edu/outreach
Western Rural Development Center
Poverty Research in the Rural West
Logan, Utah April 6-8, 2005
Differences Between West
Rural Areas and Others
West rural areas extremely diverse economically. In past have
embodied all rural extractive industries:
• Agriculture, both dryland and irrigated: production of many
different fruits and vegetables.
• Ranching
• Mining
• Timber
• Fishing
Some Western states incorporate all of this diversity in their rural
economies. Western counties are geographically large―often have
diverse economies as well.
Traditional economies being overlain by exurbanization and
amenity/retirement growth―more prevalent in West.
2
Rural Counties in West, Racially/Ethnically
Diverse
Historically
• Native Americans pushed West on to Reservations
• Large Mexican population absorbed when U.S. took land from
Mexico
Today
• Immigration streams causing rapid change in selected nonmetro
counties. Immigrants drawn to/recruited by agricultural and other
industries as low wage labor for:
–
–
–
–
–
Harvesting crops
Working in fruit, vegetable, poultry processing plants
Meat packing plants
Forest industries
Tourism
3
Percent of Nonmetro Population that is
Black, American Indian, Hispanic by
Region: 2000
30
25
Percent
20
17.3
15
13.6
10
5.9
5.9
5
1.8
1.7
0.9
0.4
1.2
1.8
1.2
2.4
0
% Black
Northeast
% Native American
Midwest
South
% Hispanic
West
4
Source: Brewer, C.A., and T. A. Suchan. 2001. “Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of U.S. Diversity.” Census
2000 Special Reports, CENSR/01-1, pg. 64. http://www.census.gov./prod/2001pubs/censr01-1.pdf
5
Percent American Indian
by Nonmetro and Metro Areas
6
Percent Hispanic by Nonmetro
and Metro Areas
7
Percent Black by
Nonmetro-Metro Areas
8
Race / Ethnicity / Age
Median Age
Nonmetro
Race/Ethnicity
Northeast South Midwest West
White (not Hispanic)
39.4
40.4
40.1
40.3
Black
26.0
31.6
24.5
26.0
American Indian
34.5
34.8
29.7
30.2
Asian and PI
Two or More Races
Hispanic
30.0
23.5
24.8
33.2
26.9
26.1
29.8
21.8
23.0
33.3
23.5
24.3
9
Percent Living in Poverty by Age
and Region: 2000
40
28.3
Percent
30
20.9
19.0
20
14.9
11.2
15.6
13.8
13.2
10.8
8.9
10
9.5
9.3
0
All
Children <18
Northeast
Midwest
Population 65+
South
West
10
Western Region Metro/Nonmetro Areas,
Percent Living in Poverty by Age : 1990-2000
30
25
21.2
19.0
Percent
20
16.9
16.3
15
16.6
14.9
12.7
12.0
12.7
10
8.2
9.3
7.8
5
0
1990
2000
All
1990
2000
Children <18
Metro
1990
2000
Population 65+
Nonmetro
11
Western Region Metro/Nonmetro Areas
Percent in Poverty by Age, Race/Ethnicity:
2000
50
39.3
40
33.4
Percent
31.6
30.5
28.8
30
20.5
20
26.8
22.4
19.1
14.9
12.7
21.3
19.0
16.6
18.4
14.7
10
7.8
9.3
0
All
Am.
Indian
Hispanic
Total Population
All
Am.
Indian
Hispanic
Children < 18
Metro
All
Am.
Indian
Hispanic
Population 65+
Nonmetro
12
West Nonmetro Areas Educational
Indicators: 2000
100
81.8
Percent
75
66.3
53.4
50
25
15.1
19.1
18.4
9.5
6.6
6.7
0
All Dropouts*
25+ with H.S. Degree
All
American Indian
25+ with College Degree
Hispanic
* 16-19 year olds not enrolled in school and not a high school graduate
13
Immigration in the West
Immigration by Region for Nonmetro Areas:
2000
20
Percent
15
10
6.5
6.4
5
3.2
3.0
2.9
1.9
1.8
1.9
0
% Foreign Born
Northeast
% 5+ Who Do Not Speak English Well
Midwest
South
West
14
Hispanic Representation in
Grant County: 1990 - 2000
15
Hispanic Representation in
Adams County: 1990 - 2000
16
Percent Hispanics by Census Tract
17
Percent Foreign Born: 2000
18
Percent Change Linguistically Isolated
Households*: 1990 – 2000
(Counties with 250 households or more)
* A household in which no person 14 and over
speaks only English, or no person 14 and over
who speaks a language other than English,
speaks English very well.
19
Explanations of International Migration
Initiation of Migration
•
•
•
•
Individual motivation
Family support
Need for low wage labor in wealthy countries
Increasing interrelationships between
developed and less developed countries
20
Explanations of International Migration
Maintenance of Migration Flows
• Family networks
― Legal Institutions
Ex.: Humanitarian organizations that protect
the rights of foreign residents
― Illegal Institutions
Ex.: Black market for transportation of illegal
immigrants
• Cumulative Causation
21
Summary
Several different sources of diversity for nonmetro counties in west.
In past, national policies to combat rural poverty often focused
primarily on agriculture. These policies will have little impact on
poverty in the nonmetro west.
Native American population: a 400 year legacy of discrimination, first
by European colonizers, then by United States. Legacy has the
biggest impact on West. Still evident, even in 21st century, in
extremely high poverty rates of Native Americans, especially in the
nonmetro areas of the west.
Rapid growth of Hispanic population throughout many areas of the
nonmetro west adding to existing diversity. But have very different
requirements than older non-Hispanic White population.
22