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In this assignment, you are to compare the poverty rates, as well as some characteristics of the poverty population, across two different counties in the United States – (1) your home county, and (2) a county that is defined as “persistently poor” by the USDA. For a list of persistent poverty counties, see Table 2 in this report. To obtain data on county poverty rates and related population characteristics for counties, proceed as follows.

I. How to Access Local Poverty Data

1. In your web browser, navigate to the U.S. Census Bureau’s website: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/
2. In the box under “Explore Census Data” type in the name of the county and the state for which you wish to collect data followed by “income and poverty”. For example, if I wanted to find data for Tuscaloosa County, I would type “Tuscaloosa, AL income and poverty” in the box. Click on the “Search” button. This will take you to a screen where you can access data for your county from different Census surveys.
3. From the menu on the left, choose “Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months.” Detailed poverty statistics can be found within the table. Note that this table provides data on individual poverty status. The table “Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months for Families” presents the same data for families.
4. You can also find other important income and poverty statistics for the county of interest in other tables. To find data on more general population characteristics, such as educational attainment, race, age, etc.) you can go back to the main page and conduct a new search by replacing the words “income and poverty” with “population characteristics.” The table titled “Selected Characteristics of the Total and Native Populations in the United States” contains data on the racial composition of the county as well as educational attainment. The table titled “Occupancy Characteristics” presents data on household structure (i.e. family vs. non-family households and family structure). There are other tables that could be of interest to you.

II. Your Report

Your report should compare and contrast the two counties using the questions below as an organizing framework. Your report must consist of one table and one graph/chart in which you present comparative data on the two counties. It does not matter which data you choose to present in the table/graph but the material should not be the same.

The final report should consist of approximately 1200 words (not counting the table and figure or references). You may consult the resources below for advice and tips regarding the construction of tables and graphs. I will also provide some guidance on this aspect of the assignment in class.

1. Compare and contrast the poverty rates of your home county and the “persistently poor” county. As you compare, be sure to discuss the overall poverty rate (both the individual poverty rate and the family poverty rate), as well as how the poverty rate varies by race, educational attainment and family structure (i.e. different types of families). What do you conclude?
2. Compare and contrast the following indicators of material deprivation across the two counties: the rate of SNAP receipt, the income distribution, employment statistics, and the projected rate of food insecurity (see this webite for food insecurity rates). What do you conclude?

• Compare and contrast differences across the two counties in at least three other measures of physical and psychological well-being. For this analysis, use the County Health Rankings website. What do you conclude?

III.  General Tips for Constructing Tables and Figures

1. All tables and figures MUST be constructed by you using your own software (usually Microsoft Word or Excel). You may NOT simply copy and paste tables and figures from other documents. This is never permitted in this class, nor is it acceptable when writing a professional report unless you have permission from the publisher of the original table or figure.
2. A table is a presentation of data in a table that consists of rows and columns. A figure is anything else (usually a graph or chart of some kind). Tables and figures should be referred to as such in your writing.
3. Each table and figure must be constructed in a clear and logical manner that conveys an important point or lesson that the author wishes to highlight.
4. Tables and figures must have titles placed above or below them that clearly indicate the point or the lesson of the table or figure. Tables and figures should be titled using a number and a title. They are numbered in the order that they appear in the text: For example, the first table would be titled “Table 1.” An example of a full title might be:

Table 1. 2019 Poverty Rates in Broward and Wilcox Counties, by Race

If there is a second table in the document, the second table appearing would be titled “Table 2.”

Graphs and charts are always labeled as “Figure” and are also numbered in the order that they appear in the document. For example, the first figure might be titled:

Figure 1. 2019 Poverty Rates in Broward and Wilcox Counties, by Race and Ethnicity

Note that the figure is numbered as Figure 1 even if the figure occurs after Table 1. Tables and figures are separately numbered.

• Tables and figures must be clearly labeled. For graphs and charts, make sure that all axes are clearly labeled. For tables, make sure that columns and rows also contain clear headings.
• Specific sources must be listed underneath each table and figure. For example, for my Table 1 above, underneath I might place the following note:

Source: American Community Survey, 2019 (Table X).

• Whenever you include a table or figure in a document, you should always explicitly refer to it in the text and explain exactly what it is telling the reader.

Online Resources

If you have never used Excel to create a chart or graph, see this tutorial. There are many other online tutorials as well (including many found on Youtube).