PDF reader options for the visually impaired. Places Left Behind In The New Economy - was released by Secretary Andrew Cuomo during an address to the National Press Club. The report finds that while most cities are healthier than they have been in a decade, significant numbers have been left behind. As President Clinton and Vice President Gore have said, America's work will not be done until our prosperity touches every person in every place. The HUD report is based on studies of unemployment, population loss and poverty of all 539 central cities in the United States.
Central cities are hub communities in metropolitan areas, surrounded by suburbs.
These central cities range in size from a minimum of 15,000 people in lightly populated areas to major cities with millions of residents. This amounts to 95 central cities in 25 states and the District of Columbia with unemployment rates of 6.75 percent or higher in 1998. Even in cities with low unemployment overall, there are pockets of high joblessness. In 22 percent of central cities, populations fell 5 percent or more between 1980 and 1996 - even though the nation's population rose 17 percent during the period. This amounts to 116 central cities in 28 states and the District of Columbia.