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.
Younger workers leave for places where job prospects are better and wage rates are higher.
Although there is a broad association between population change and poverty rates, there are many exceptions within each category. For example, among 27 counties that had more than a 10 percent increase in population, Stone County's poverty rate declined from 16.1 to 10.7 percent while in Boone County the poverty rate increased from 11.1 to 15 percent. Similarly, among the 21 counties that had a population loss of 10 percent or greater, Clark County's poverty rate increased from 17.6 percent to 22.8 percent while Carroll County's rate declined from 16.0 to 13.9 percent. Although there are some broad generalizations that can be made, there is substantial variation from county to county in each of the regions in the state. The poverty rate of nonmetropolitan residents 65 and over was 18.5, well above the rate for metropolitan senior citizens, 10.7.