| ← Per Capita Income Trends: Adirondack Park vs Rural America | ↑Table of Contents | Poverty Rate Trends: Adirondack Park vs United States → |
Key Findings
From 1970 to 2020, the poverty rate of the Park Towns decreased by +0.7 percentage points. This was in marked contrast to the New York State increase of +5.7 percentage points and the U.S. increase of +2.2 percentage points.
The Park Towns’ +0.7 percentage point decrease in its poverty rate from 1970 to 2020 was more favorable than that of 71% of the Rural Northeast U.S. counties.
The Park Towns’ 2020 poverty rate was lower than that of 2,140 U.S. counties, home to 62% of the U.S. population.
The Park Towns’ 2020 poverty rate was lower than that of 1,463 rural counties, home to 78% of the population of Rural America.
Table 6: Change in Poverty Rate in New York and U.S., 1970–2020
| Area | 1970 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York State | 8.0% | 13.7% | +5.7 |
| Rural NY Towns | 10.4% | 12.9% | +2.5 |
| Park Towns | 10.3% | 11.0% | +0.7 |
| Split Towns | 9.8% | 10.4% | +0.6 |
| United States | 10.4% | 12.6% | +2.2 |
In 2020, a family of four with an annual income of $26,246 or less was considered to be living in poverty. The poverty rate of a region is a key indicator of overall economic health. Over this 50-year time frame, the overall poverty rate rose significantly in New York State from 8.0% to 13.7%. Across the U.S., the poverty rate rose from 10.4% to 12.6%.
In general, rural areas in New York State and the U.S. did not experience overall poverty rate increases commensurate with those of New York and the U.S. The Park Towns saw a decrease of +0.7 percentage points and the Split Towns saw an increase of +0.6 percentage points. The 47 Rural New York towns experienced an increase of +2.5 percentage points.
Figures on these Poverty Rate pages show changes in the poverty rate in New York State and the U.S. Areas with the majority of the state and national populations saw growth in their poverty rates higher than those of the Park Towns. Vast areas also had poverty rates in 2020 that were significantly higher than those of the 61 Adirondack Park Towns.
Figure 26: Comparison of changes in poverty rate from 1970 to 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
From 1970 to 2020, 67% of the towns, etc., in New York State had a larger increase in their poverty rate than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 18.6 million people, 93% of New York State’s population.
608 New York State towns, etc., with a larger increase in their poverty rate from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
295 New York State towns, etc., with a decrease or smaller increase in their poverty rate from 1970 to 2020 than that of the Park Towns
Figure 27: Comparison of the poverty rate in 2020 between the Park Towns and New York State towns, cities, and boroughs
In 2020, 44% of towns, etc., in New York State had a higher poverty rate than did the Park Towns. These places were home to 11.8 million people, 59% of New York State's population.
395 New York State towns, etc., with a higher poverty rate in 2020 than that was lower than that of the Park Towns
510 New York State towns, etc., with a lower poverty rate in 2020 than that was higher than that of the Park Towns