The Factors that Mark the Difference Between Poverty in Rural Areas and Metropolitan Areas

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Poverty is poverty, but is it really the same? Although there are more people living in poverty in dense, urban areas compared to those living in sparely, populated rural areas, there are significant differences. According to United States Department of Agriculture, poverty rates increase as counties become more rural ("Rural Poverty," 2013). When it comes to poverty there are too many issues to be examined. However, the disparity between education, employment, healthcare and family living circumstances are major contributing factors affecting rural poverty.
Although states have increased funding for education, the community reflects their value of education. In affluent, urban communities where education is highly valued, teachers have higher salaries. Conversely, in low income areas where education is not valued, teachers’ salaries tend to be low (Debertin & Goetz, 1994, p. 3). Another difference between urban education and rural education is course offerings at the high school level. According to Debertin (1994), “Curricula in many rural schools often consist of course mandated by the state plus one or two additional offerings, such as vocational agriculture, home economics, or industrial education, designed to cater to student interests.”
Finally, the transportation of students in rural schools can be a problem. Not only is the operational cost of maintaining and running buses to pick up and drop off students, but the cost to maintain roadways in rural areas presents a problems (Debertin & Goetz, 1994, p. 4). In rural areas, less people get their high school diplomas compared their counterparts in metropolis areas. There is a greater gap when it comes to getting college degrees. According to the Economic Research Se...

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...Rural Sociology, (), . http://dx.doi.org/Retrieved from
Debertin, D. L., & Goetz, S. J. (1994, January). Differences in rural and urban schools: Issues for policymakers. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/pubs/res_other/schlurvr.pdf
Deller, S. C. (2006). Community Economics Newsletter. Retrieved from http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/cenews/docs/ce242.txt
Rural income, poverty and welfare briefing room. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/IncomePovertyWelfare/
Rural poverty & well-being. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/rural-economy-population/rural-poverty-well-being/poverty-demographics.aspx#.UznAF_ldUTI
Vargas, M. C., Dye, B. A., & Hayes, K. L. (2002). Oral Health status of rural adults in the United States. Journal of the American Dental Association, 133(1672-1681).

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