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Broke in the Burbs
Poverty in Florida's suburbs is growing faster than in cities.
? [Photo: iStock] |
These days, Lakeland also claims a more dubious distinction. According to a report published in January by the Brookings Institution, Lakeland had the fifth-highest suburban poverty rate in the nation in 2008. According to the study, 75,075 people in Lakeland’s surrounding suburbs — 15.8% of the population — live below the poverty level of $21,834 for a family of four. Within Lakeland’s city limits, meanwhile, 12,182 people, or 13.3% of the population, live in poverty.
The explosion of poverty in Lakeland’s suburbs mirrors a national trend — between 2000 and 2008, according to the Brookings’ study, the country’s largest metro areas saw the poor population in their suburbs grow by 25% — a rate about five times faster than in cities.
Top 10 Poverty Rates in the Suburbs 2008 |
|
1. McAllen, Texas |
36.7% |
2. El Paso, Texas |
31.0 |
3. Bakersfield, Calif. |
24.2 |
4. Fresno, Calif. |
18.8 |
5. Lakeland |
15.8 |
6. Modesto, Calif. |
14.6 |
7. Little Rock, Ark. |
14.2 |
8. Jackson, Miss. |
14.0 |
9. Augusta-Richmond Co., Ga.-S.C. |
14.0 |
10. Albuquerque, N.M. | 13.6 |
Suburban pockets of Miami, Tampa and Palm Bay have also been hard hit. Nearly 70% of Tampa Bay’s 337,470 poor live in the suburbs, the study shows. Brookings concludes that this "ongoing shift in the geography of American poverty" will require
"regional scale collaboration by policymakers and social service providers
in order to effectively address the needs of a poor population that is increasingly suburban."
Changes in Poverty 2000-08 |
||
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | ||
? | No. of Poor | Poverty Rate/Chg. Since 2000 |
Cities | 102,579 | 15.3% / -0.1% |
Suburbs | 234,891 | 11.7% / 2.1% |
Orlando | ||
? | No. of Poor | Poverty Rate/Chg. Since 2000 |
Cities | 43,732 | 18.9% / 3% |
Suburbs | 197,004 | 11.0% / 1% |
Palm Bay | ||
? | No. of Poor | Poverty Rate/Chg. Since 2000 |
Cities | 10,087 | 10% / 0.5% |
Suburbs | 44,729 | 10.5% / 1% |
Change in Projected Poverty Rates |
|
Select Florida Metro Areas (2008-09) | |
Metro Area | Percentage Point Change |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers |
3.8 |
Lakeland-Winter Haven |
3.3 |
Orlando-Kissimmee |
3.2 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater |
3.2 |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville |
3.0 |
Jacksonville |
2.9 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 2.5 |