(County Rates as a Percentage of the U.S. Average)
A poverty rate is the ratio of the persons below the poverty level to the total number of persons for whom poverty status has been determined. The percent of the U.S. average is computed by dividing the county poverty rate by the national average and multiplying by 100. The map uses critical breaks such as the national average to organize the data into groups of common values.
The U.S. average is 15.1%. The Appalachian average is 16.7%. For a list of county data by state, see the downloadable Excel file.
