Despite Record Economic Expansion, Poverty Rate Increased In 30% Of U.S. Counties

Published December 24, 2019 at 12:33 PM EST

While the national poverty rate dropped from 13% in 2016 to 12% in 2018, it grew in one-third of U.S. counties — mostly in rural, southern states.

Among the poorest counties, the poverty rate is now around 40%, despite the fact that the official unemployment rate may hover around 3%.

Here & Now’s Robin Young talks to Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi), MSNBC anchor and economics correspondent, about what explains the discrepancy.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.