Study Charts Dramatic Rise in Suburban Child Poverty

By Deborah L. Cohen

Child poverty is increasing dramatically in the suburbs, and, if the trend continues, schools and children's agencies will face "overwhelming" demands to provide social, health, and other services, a new report predicts.

The study, based on an analysis of Census Bureau data from 1959 to 1992 by the Center on Hunger, Poverty, and Nutrition Policy at Tufts University, showed that the rate of child poverty increased by 49 percent in the past two decades, bringing the number of poor children in the United States to about 14 million.

The rate increased by 56 percent in inner-city areas and 36 percent in rural areas. But the largest rate of growth was in suburban child poverty, which rose by 76 percent...