More poor in U.S. suburbs than cities, report says

Once considered the definition of the middle-class American dream, the suburbs are now home to a larger, faster-growing poor population than urban areas, according to a new analysis.

During the 2000s, the number of poor living in U.S. suburbs grew by 64 percent — more than twice the 29 percent growth rate in cities.

Overall, 16.4 million poor people consider suburbia home, compared with 13.4 million in big cities and 7.3 million in rural areas, researchers for the Brookings Institution said in a book published Monday (May 20, 2013).

The shifting poverty demographic can be seen in Chicago’s suburbs, where the number of poor increased by 99 percent in the last decade — from 363,966 to 724,233, said Elizabeth Kneebone, co-author of “Confronting Suburban Poverty in America.” Click here to read the full Chicago Tribune story by Vikki Ortiz Healy and Matthew Walberg.