The number of children in nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) areas increased by 3 percent between 1990 and 2000, compared with a 16-percent increase in metropolitan (metro) areas. A number of nonmetro counties lost population in the 1990s due to outmigration of young families, and the small increase in the number of nonmetro children may reflect that. Although rural child poverty rates declined in the 1990s, they remain higher (21 percent) than the rates for urban children (18 percent). In 2003, 2.7 million rural children under 18 were poor, representing 36 percent of the rural poor. The geographic distribution of child poverty-heavily concentrated in the South-is important for targeting poverty reduction policies and programs in nonmetro areas.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Security and Poverty,

Rogers, Carolyn C.

English

Research Papers in Economics

Rural
Children
At A 
Glance
Nonmetro child poverty rates, 2000
Less than 
21 percent
21 to 49 percent
50 percent 
or more
United States Department of Agriculture
Economic Research Service
Economic Information Bulletin Number 1  
March 2005
T
he number of children under age 18 in the United States increased
from 63.6 million in 1990 to 72.1 million in 2000. The number of
children in nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) areas increased by 
3 percent, compared with an increase of 16 percent in metropolitan (metro)
areas. A number of nonmetro counties lost population in the 1990s, and 
the small increase in the number of children may reflect the outmigration 
of young families. 
Child poverty in 21st century America is higher (18 percent in 2003) than
the rate for the general population (12.5 percent), as well as above the rates in
most other industrialized countries. Child poverty is a significant social 
problem that negatively affects children’s development. Although rural child
poverty rates declined in the 1990s, they remain higher than the rates for urban
children (21 percent vs. 18 percent). In 2003, 2.7 million rural children were
poor, representing 36 percent of the rural poor. Nonmetro children are 
more likely than metro children to receive food stamps and free or 
reduced-price school lunches, in part a reflection of higher nonmetro poverty.
The geographic distribution of child poverty—heavily concentrated in the
South—is important for targeting poverty reduction policies and program 
assistance such as child nutrition programs, food stamps, and health insurance
coverage in rural areas.
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) analyzes ongoing changes in
rural areas and assesses Federal, State, and local strategies to enhance 
economic opportunity and quality of life for rural Americans.  Following are the
most current indicators of the demographic, social, and economic well-being of
rural children for use in developing rural policies and programs to assist 
children and their families in rural areas.Diversity Characterizes Today’s 
Child Population in Rural Areas 
The size and
geographic distri-
bution of the child
population deter-
mine the demand
for schools, health care, and other
services and facilities that serve 
children and their families.    
The number of children in the
rural United States grew by 
3 percent between 1990 and
2000. Children (under age 18)
represented a smaller and more
diverse—but still substantial—
proportion of the nonmetro 
population in 2000 (17 percent)
than in 1990 (19 percent). 
The largest share of rural  children (45 percent) resided in the South, and most of the
increase in this region’s child population occurred among minorities. 
Racial/Ethnic Diversity Increased Between 1990 and 2000
In 2000, 80 percent of nonmetro children were White, a decline of about 
4 percentage points since 1990, due primarily to an increased share of Hispanic 
children. 
The proportion of Hispanic children increased from 5 percent in 1990 to 8 percent
in 2000, a result of high fertility rates and substantial immigration of Hispanics to the
United States. Although Hispanic children and their families are concentrated in the
Southwest, Hispanic children were more dispersed throughout nonmetro America 
in 2000 than in 1990. 
About 10 percent of nonmetro children were Black in 2000, essentially the same 
as in 1990, and concentrated chiefly in the nonmetro South. Children of 
Native American heritage remained at 3 percent of the nonmetro child population 
in 2000. Asian-American children comprise less than one percent of nonmetro
children.
Children Are More Likely To  
Live in Mother-Only Families 
The number of children in mother-only families increased in
the 1990s due to both high rates of divorce and 
out-of-wedlock childbearing, but at a much slower pace than
during the 1970s or 1980s. In 2004, 24 percent of 
nonmetro children under age 18 lived in mother-only 
families, up from 20 percent in 1990, but less than the 
percentage of metro children (26 percent).
Minority children are more likely to
live in mother-only families than
White children. In 2004, half of 
nonmetro Black children and 34 
percent of nonmetro Native
American children were in mother-
only families, compared  with 18 
percent of nonmetro White 
children. Children in mother-only
families may experience greater 
economic disadvantage than 
children in married-couple families
because their mothers often have
low earnings, their fathers may not 
contribute to their support, and/or
their financial assistance benefits
may not be sufficient to raise them
above poverty. 
Rural Children At A Glance
Midwest South West Northeast
Percent
Distribution of children by region and
metro-nonmetro residence, 2004
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Metro
Nonmetro
Black Hispanic Native
American
White
Percent
Children living with their mother only, by
race-ethnicity and metro-nonmetro
residence, 2004
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Metro
NonmetroChild Poverty Declined Between 1990 and 2000       
The percentage of children living in poverty is perhaps the most widely used 
indicator of child well-being, in part because poverty is closely linked to a number of less
desirable outcomes in areas such as health, education, emotional welfare, and 
delinquency. Poverty rates for children in nonmetro areas have historically been higher
than for children in metro areas, partly due to higher rural unemployment and a greater
share of low-wage jobs in rural areas. During the 1990s, child poverty rates declined in
large part due to welfare reform measures and an expanding economy, but the nonmetro
poverty rate continued to exceed the metro rate.
Child poverty rates declined in the late 1980s, increased in the early 1990s in both
metro and nonmetro areas, and peaked in 1993 at 22 percent in metro areas and 
24 percent in nonmetro areas. Beginning in 1994, child poverty rates dropped 
substantially, down to 18 percent in metro areas and 21 percent in nonmetro areas
in 2003. In the late 1990s, child poverty declined more rapidly in metro areas than
in nonmetro areas, widening the residential poverty gap. 
Child poverty rates vary across rural areas, increasing along a continuum of least to
most rural. In 2000, rates ranged from 18 percent in nonmetro counties with 
populations of 20,000 or more and adjacent to an urban (metro) area to 
23 percent in completely rural counties. Proximity to an urban area affected rural
poverty rates, with nonadjacent counties having higher child poverty rates than adja-
cent counties, regardless of their population size.
Child poverty rates declined between 1990 and 2000. Rates fell the most—
4 percentage points—in completely rural nonadjacent counties, compared with 
2 percentage points in nonmetro counties of 20,000 or more population and 
adjacent to a metro area. The declines resulted in a more even distribution of 
poverty rates across rural areas.
Rural child poverty has been most persistent and severe in Central Appalachia, the
Deep South (including the Mississippi River Delta), the Rio Grande border area, the
Southwest, and the American Indian communities in the Northern Plains. Although
poverty declined between 1990 and 2000, over 750 nonmetro counties (37 percent
of all nonmetro counties) had child poverty rates of 21 percent or more in 2000. 
In addition to the share of nonmetro children who were poor, 14 percent were
classified as   near-poor in 2003 (in families with total incomes 100-149 percent of
the official poverty level), a proportion unchanged from 1990. The financial 
standing of the near-poor is precarious at best, with families moving in and 
out of poverty. 
Race/Ethnicity, Family
Structure, and Region Affect
Child Poverty
While most poor children are White,
minority children are overrepresent-
ed in the count of poor children 
relative to their share of the popula-
tion. In nonmetro areas in 2003,
Black children were more than twice
as likely to be poor as White children
(44 percent vs.18 percent).   
Rural Children At A Glance
Percent
Poverty rates of children under 18 years old by rural-urban 
continuum code, 1990-2000
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
250,000
to
999,999
Metro Nonmetro
Less 
than
250,000
Adjacent Not adj. Adjacent Not adj. Adjacent Not adj.
Completely
rural
2,500-19,999
Urban
population
20,000+
Urban
population
1 million+
population
1990 2000Nonmetro poverty rates for Black
children and Hispanic children
each declined 8 percentage points
between 1990 and 2000, com-
pared with only a 2-percentage-
point decline for White children.
The ratio of Black child poverty to
White declined over the decade,
as did the ratio of Hispanic child
poverty to White, narrowing the
racial/ethnic gap in poverty. 
In the South, 19 percent of 
nonmetro children were poor,
compared with 18 percent in the
nonmetro West and 16 percent in
both the nonmetro Northeast 
and Midwest. 
Nearly 46 percent of nonmetro
children in mother-only families
were poor in 2003, compared
with 10 percent in two-parent families. Minority children in mother-only families
had higher poverty than White children in such families: nonmetro rates were 
59 percent for Black children, 56 percent for Hispanic children, 41 percent for Native
American children, and 42 percent for White children. Children in single-parent
families tend to have more school-related, health, and behavioral problems and to
live in families with lower incomes, complete fewer years of schooling, and earn 
less as adults. 
Other Indicators of Child Well-Being 
Differ by Metro-Nonmetro Status
Nonmetro children are more likely than metro children to have younger and less
educated parents, and children with younger and less educated parents are more likely
to be poor. Many poor and low-income working families do not earn enough money to
provide health care, childcare, and other critical services for their children. 
Rural Children At A Glance
Black Hispanic Native
American
White
Percent
Children below the poverty level by race-
ethnicity and metro-nonmetro
residence, 2003
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Metro
Nonmetro
1
Indicator Metro Nonmetro
All children
Metro Nonmetro
Poor children
Total, under age 18
Age of child
    Under 6 years
    6-11 years
    12-17 years
Family type
     Married-couple family
     Mother-only family
     Father-only family
Parental age
     18-29 years
     30-44 years
Parental education
     Less than high school
     High school graduate
     College -1 or more years
Parental labor force status
     Employed
     Not in labor force
60, 432
32.7
32.5
34.8
68.8
25.9
5.3
15.7
60.5
15.9
27.5
56.6
75.5
19.8
13,147
31.0
32.7
36.4
69.5
24.1
6.5
19.3
59.6
15.7
37.3
47.0
76.3
19.5
10,709
36.6
33.7
29.7
31.9
59.3
8.8
31.2
53.1
38.8
33.8
27.4
45.0
43.5
2,739
37.9
32.3
29.8
34.0
55.4
10.6
33.6
52.4
34.0
39.8
26.2
50.8
40.7
Number (1,000s)
Percentage
   Based on employment status and family income for the previous year.  1
 1
 1
    
Family and parental characteristics of children
under 18 by residence and poverty status, 2004Parental Characteristics Have 
Implications for Child Well-Being
Children in families with a parent who did not complete high
school are likely to be worse off economically than children
with highly educated parents who are more marketable in the
labor force. Among all nonmetro children, 16 percent had 
parents who had not completed high school, but 34 percent of
nonmetro poor children had parents who had not completed
high school.  
About three-quarters of nonmetro children had parents who were employed in 2003,
compared with only half of nonmetro poor children. Poverty rates are higher for
children with unemployed parents or parents not in the labor force. The Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) may help many low-income working families, especially
those in the most remote rural areas where poverty rates are higher.
Proportionately Fewer Rural Than Urban 
Children Have Some Form of Health Insurance 
In 2001, 9.2 million children (12 percent) were not covered by health insurance—
7.6 million in metro areas and 1.6 million (22 percent) in nonmetro areas—despite
the availability of government health insurance programs for children in 
low-income families.
In 2002, 2.7 percent of nonmetro children and 2.1 percent of metro children had
needed medical care during the prior 12 months but had not received it because the
family could not afford it. A higher share of nonmetro children (8.8 percent) than
metro children (7.1 percent) had two or more emergency room visits in the previous 
12 months. Poor children are more likely than nonpoor children to have unmet 
medical needs, delayed medical care, no usual place of health care, and high use of
emergency room services.
Nonmetro Children Are More Likely Than Metro 
Children To Receive Government Food Assistance
In 2002, about the same share (16 to 17 percent) of nonmetro and metro children
resided in households that were food insecure—that is, lacking consistent access to
enough food for active, healthy living. A family’s ability to provide for children’s 
nutritional needs and secure access to adequate, nutritious food without relying on
emergency feeding programs is linked to family income and other resources.
In 2003, nonmetro children were more likely to receive food stamps (15 percent)
than metro children (12 percent); among poor children, 52 percent in nonmetro
areas received food stamps vs. 48 percent in metro areas. A greater share of 
nonmetro children received free or reduced-price lunches (40 percent) than metro
children (37 percent); about 75 percent of poor children (both metro and nonmetro)
received free or reduced-price lunches. 
The proportion of children receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
was lower for nonmetro than for metro children; in 2003, 10 percent of nonmetro
poor children received TANF, compared with 17 percent of metro poor children.
Similar shares of poor children in nonmetro (15 percent) and metro areas 
(16 percent) lived in public housing projects.
Rural Children At A Glance
1
Indicator Metro Nonmetro
All children
Metro Nonmetro
Poor children
Children receiving:
     Food stamps
     TANF
     Hot lunch
     Free or reduced-price lunch
Children living in public housing
12.0
3.8
66.8
37.3
9.1
15.3
2.8
78.7
40.3
10.0
47.8
17.0
80.0
73.9
16.4
52.2
10.4
84.6
74.7
15.1
Percentage
  Based on family income for the previous year.
Note:  Households must meet a low-income threshold to qualify for food stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy
Families (TANF), and free or reduced-price lunches.
 1
 1
Indicators of well-being for children under 18
by residence and poverty status, 2004Economic Research Service
Rural Children At A Glance
General information about rural America can be found at w ww ww w. .e er rs s. .
u us sd da a. .g go ov v/ /E Em mp ph ha as se es s/ /R Ru ur ra al l . . . and about children in rural America at: 
w ww ww w. .e er rs s. .u us sd da a. .g go ov v/ /b br ri ie ef fi in ng g/ /i in nc co om me ep po ov ve er rt ty yw we el lf fa ar re e/ /C Ch hi il ld dP Po ov ve er rt ty y/ /
For more information, contact C Ca ar ro ol ly yn n   C C. .   R Ro og ge er rs s   at c cr ro og ge er rs s@ @e er rs s. .u us sd da a. .g go ov v
or 2 20 02 2- -6 69 94 4- -5 54 43 36 6.
ERS website and contact person
This report is based on data from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses of
Population; the March 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS) data file, and
selected previous years; and the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. To
gauge the effects of parental characteristics on children’s economic well-being,
the child’s record in the CPS data file was linked to the parent’s data record. 
Data sources
M Me et tr ro o- -n no on nm me et tr ro o    s st ta at tu us s—Metropolitan (metro) and nonmetropolitan 
(nonmetro) areas are defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Estimates from the Current Population Survey and the National Health
Interview Survey identify metro and nonmetro areas according to OMB’s 1993
designation. Under the 1993 classification, metro areas include central counties
with one or more cities of at least 50,000 residents or with an urbanized area of
50,000 or more and total area population of at least 100,000. Nonmetro 
counties are outside the boundaries of metro areas and have no cities with
50,000 residents or more. Data from the 2000 Census in this report are based
on OMB’s 2003 definition of metro and nonmetro areas. Under the 2003 
classification, metro areas are defined for all urbanized areas regardless of total
area population. Outlying counties are also classified as metro if they are 
economically tied to the central counties, as measured by the share of workers
commuting on a daily basis to the central counties. The rural-urban continuum
code distinguishes metro counties by total metro area size and nonmetro 
counties by degree of urbanization and proximity to metro areas. The 
terms “rural” and “nonmetro” are used interchangeably in this report. 
S Se ee e   h ht tt tp p: :/ // /w ww ww w. .e er rs s. .u us sd da a. .g go ov v/ /b br ri ie ef fi in ng g/ /r ru ur ra al li it ty y/ /
P Po ov ve er rt ty y   r ra at te es s—Any individual with income less than that deemed sufficient
to purchase basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and other essential goods and
services is classified as poor. The income necessary to purchase these basic
needs varies by the size and composition of the household. The 2003 poverty
line for a four-person family is $18,810. Poverty lines are adjusted annually 
to correct for inflation. 
Definitions
“Dimensions of Child Poverty in Rural Areas,” Amber Waves, Vol. 1, No. 5,
2003.  The proportion of rural children in families with incomes below the 
poverty level declined from 22 percent in 1990 to 19 percent in 2000. With a child
poverty rate much higher than that of the general population, the Nation has much
to gain from improving the economic conditions of children and their families.
w ww ww w. .e er rs s. .u us sd da a. .g go ov v/ /A Am mb be er rW Wa av ve es s/ /N No ov ve em mb be er r0 03 3/ /F Fi in nd di in ng gs s/ /c ch hi il ld dp po ov ve er rt ty y. .h ht tm m
FoodReview: Examining the Well-Being of Children—The theme 
for this issue is ‘’America’s Children.’’ Articles discuss the well-being of 
U.S children, children’s diet quality, the problem of overweight children in 
the U.S., foodborne disease among children, the economics of breastfeeding, 
and food assistance programs that help children and their families.
w ww ww w. .e er rs s. .u us sd da a. .g go ov v/ /p pu ub bl li ic ca at ti io on ns s/ /F Fo oo od d   R Re ev vi ie ew w/ /m ma ay y2 20 00 01 1
ERS Research on Children . . .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. 
(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication
of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 
(voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 
14th and Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal 
opportunity provider and employer.

RURAL CHILDREN AT A GLANCE

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Research Papers in Economics