If you look at the poverty maps of just about any state, you'll see the highest rates of poverty in the main urban areas, the lowest rates in the suburbs of those urban areas, and then fairly high poverty rates everywhere else. The rural poor are largely invisible, though they exist and do use what little social safety net is provided for them. I've long thought some racial and urban resentment is due to the fact that the media focus on the urban poor suggests to rural poor people that they're the only ones anybody cares about. Urban areas do tend to have a greater availability social services, but it isn't as if it's free gold for everyone.
Anyway, the point I'm ambling towards is... if Democrats want to woo the rural white working class they should, you know, do something for them.
...related
