Data Training Webinar: Poverty Area Measures

Did you know that since the 1960s, poverty area measures have been relied upon by policymakers to target, implement, and monitor Federal programs supporting a range of initiatives?

The USDA, Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Poverty Area Measures data product provides indicators of high poverty areas, extreme poverty areas, persistent poverty areas, and enduring poverty areas for counties and census tracts across all 50 states and Washington D.C. These measures serve as a resource for researchers, Federal agencies, policymakers, and practitioners working to better understand and address issues of poverty, rural development, and equitable access.

Some of these initiatives include:

• Educational and employment opportunities
• Health care services and healthy food access
• Transit services and community facility improvements
• Housing assistance and land development loans
• Fiscal health and administrative capacity of local governments
• Energy savings and climate change resilience
• Aid to historically underserved population groups
• Access to telecommunication, including broadband

During this webinar, ERS Geographer Tracey Farrigan and ERS Economist Austin Sanders presented an overview of the Poverty Area Measures data product, highlighted its many uses, and demonstrated where to find it on the ERS website.