WASHINGTON - The Reverend Jay Kieve watched the economic prosperity of the 1990s pass his small town by. <br>
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In Allendale, South Carolina, much like other rural stretches of the South, the poverty rate decreased little while the economy failed to match the growth that created jobs and new homes around cities such as Atlanta and Raleigh, North Carolina. <br>
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Though Census 2000 data for 29 states showed state poverty rates declining across much of the South -- historically the nation's poorest region -- they remained among the highest in the country in the 1990s. In another eleven states, poverty rates increased, though some gains were slight. <br>
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In Allendale County, South Carolina, about one-third of the residents lived below the poverty level, according to the 2000 census -- about the same as ten years earlier. <br>
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Poverty data come from the 53-question census ``long form'' distributed to 20 million American households. Census results released last year came from questions that were asked of all U.S. residents. <br>
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The data, which estimate poverty levels for 1999, are being released as Congress weighs possible changes to the massive 1996 welfare overhaul, which nudged people off public help and into jobs. <br>
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Besides South Carolina, other states receiving data today were New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina. Twenty-nine states now have the first batch of long form data, with the remaining states to receive figures by early June.
