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Census data: A growing number of people are living in high-poverty areas

Poverty has doubled in Livingston County over the last five years
SamPac
/
creative commons
Poverty has doubled in Livingston County over the last five years
Credit SamPac / creative commons
/
creative commons

By official economic measures, this country has emerged from the Great Recession.

But recovery is not being felt in many neighborhoods in large and mid-sized cities.

Since 2000, the number of people living in high-poverty ghettos, barrios, and slums has nearly doubled from 7.2 million to nearly 14 million people.

That's the highest number of Americans living in high-poverty neighborhoods ever recorded. 

What is behind this "Resurrection of America's Slums"?

Alana Semuels explores this question in a piece for The Atlantic.

Semuels joined us to discuss this rise in slums and ghettos, what solutions are being offered, and some pretty striking numbers about Detroit.  Listen to the full interview.

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