Abstract
In 1988 a Senate bill established the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission, whose stated purpose was to address the poverty of the region. The region identified spanned seven states and included 187 counties, and was said to share economic, social, and cultural ties. While some underlying similarities may exist in the region, the manner in which poverty manifests itself is differentiated spatially, and the region is far from homogeneous. Variations with respect to the national average in per capita income, percentage of families below the poverty level, rate of high school graduation, and unemployment rate were examined and mapped. A cluster analysis reveals the distribution of overall poverty levels. The results indicate that in both the Ozarks and counties which lie within the Mississippi River valley, income poverty is a major problem. In contrast, the portion of southern Illinois included in the Delta region is less impoverished than the region as a whole, yet does suffer from high unemployment rates. The Delta region identified by the Commission does not share a similar level of poverty, nor is the poverty experienced uniform in nature.
Recommended Citation
Shaw, Wendy
(1992)
"Spatial Variation in Poverty Levels Within the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Region,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 34:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol34/iss2/2