City Manager Joseph Scherer today responded to a report published by credit.com and read widely locally on Yahoo, listing Roanoke Rapids as the third poorest city in the country.
“The article claims to have based its information upon the annual Community Survey issued by the U.S. Census Bureau,” Scherer said in the statement. “It appears to have chosen its 10 cities based upon population groupings, focusing on micropolitan areas defined as those containing an urban core of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 populations.”
Said the city manager: “While our city and the surrounding communities would not claim to be extremely well-off economically, I truly believe we are nowhere near so poor to be worthy of the article's ranking.”
He noted there are new businesses opening in the city and county and retail sales are consistent. “Even (state) Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker commented on her recent visit to the county that she believes Halifax County has a competitive edge over other areas and is well-positioned for future economic growth.”
As a well-traveled former military officer, Scherer said, “I can say with certainty that there are other cities that are much more economically deprived than our region. While we and many other areas of rural North Carolina face some serious economic challenges, we also have several assets going for us, including the positive attitude of the community.”
Economic data from the website politico.com, an independent firm that specializes in analyzing this kind of data, ranks all 576 micropolitan areas and ranks Roanoke Rapids at 468, “Nowhere near the bottom 10 on their list,” he said.
The current government shutdown, he said, means no one can access the census database, “So we can't review any of the data claimed to be used for the article. But, I don't for a minute believe we are the third poorest city in the country. We are a proud community who do not shrink from challenges and not worthy of such an undesirable ranking.”
In information compiled for the city's overhaul of its comprehensive land use plan, the city's 2010 median household income was $35,902. “This figure is well below Nash County and the state,” the paperwork in that section of the packet says. “However, the city's median household income is above most Northeastern North Carolina jurisdictions. Halifax County's poverty rate is above that of the state but is in line with other Northeastern North Carolina counties. The Northeast North Carolina region is one of the country's most poverty stricken areas.”
