ABSTRACT
The National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty was created in 1966 to study economic situations adversely affecting rural people and to make recommendations for action by all levels of government and private enterprise. A brief examination of some poverty statistics for the years of 1969 to 1976 will provide the basis for considering the extent of reduction in poverty and for raising relevant issues for which research investigation is needed. In 1976, there were twenty-five million persons with incomes below the poverty level, two million less than in 1969; 39% lived in nonmetro areas. Despite the overall decline in rural poverty, low earnings and a low standard of living persist in many rural counties. Poverty has also been blamed on the operation of economic and social circumstance imbedded in the social system at a point beyond the control of the individual.
