Hardship has built a stronghold in the American suburbs. Whatever
image they had as places of affluence and stability was badly
shaken last year, when reports analyzing the 2010 census made it
clear that the suburbs were getting poorer. While the overall
suburban population grew slightly during the previous decade, the
number of people living below the poverty line in the suburbs
grew by 66 percent, compared with 47 percent in cities. The trend
quickened when the Great Recession hit, as home foreclosures and
unemployment surged. In 2010, 18.9 million suburban Americans
were living below the poverty line, up from 11.3 million in 2000.