The effects of the recent economic collapse have been beating up on the middle class for the last few years. According to recent census data, since 2000, the number of suburban individuals living below the poverty line has risen by 53%. While this is staggering to see at first, when we look at the numbers more closely, it’s not quite so bad….but still bad.
The Facts
After the bulk of the manufacturing jobs were completely dissolved in the beginning of this century, began the great migration of blue collar workers to the suburban areas of the country. Naturally, this leads to a boom in the service industries in those suburban areas. The boom is due to a need to service the many families moving to the area, be it by restaurants, shopping malls, etc. By nature, the individuals performing these service jobs tend to be living under the poverty line. As you can see, a migration of middle class workers to a suburban area, will naturally increase the amount of poor.
What It Means
What does this all mean? I honestly don’t know. I don’t think we have ever really seen a situation quite like this in the recent history of our country. The reason I say this is because of the rate of growth of the technology and health sectors, it’s hard to pinpoint a recovery time. I believe that these two industries alone will sustain our country for some time to come, but how many jobs these industries create in the near future is really a mystery. The growth of the sectors is directly tied to their advancements in technology, which, in some part is again tied to the growth of the sector.
Time will tell, and the future of our economy will stay uncertain until the day it’s visible that it has rebounded. We can only hope for the best, continue to innovate, and spend spend spend!
Citations for this post:
- Tami Luhby, Poverty pervades the suburbs, CNN Money.com, September 23, 2011
