Although the rates were low in these 9 counties, the 1989 rate was somewhat greater than the 1979 rate in all but two. There were 11 counties where the 1989 poverty rate exceeded 25 percent. All were rural and all except three were located in southeast Missouri. Four counties, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi and Dunklin, were clustered in the Bootheel and four, Carter, Ripley, Wayne and Oregon, were in an Ozark cluster to the west. Two additional rural Ozark counties further to the west, Wright and Douglas, also had rates of more than 25 percent.
Poverty rates are broadly related to economic trends which also influence population gain or loss.
The 21 counties that lost 10 percent or more of their population during the 1980s had a combined poverty rate of 22.8 percent. The 53 counties that lost population experienced an increase in poverty rate from 17.9 percent in 1979 to 20.4 percent in 1989. In the 62 counties that gained population, the combined poverty rate increased from 9.6 to 10.7 percent. Counties losing population not only had higher average poverty rates but also had greater increases in poverty rates during the 1980s. Population loss leaves behind a higher proportion of low income persons.