RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The number of people living in poverty in the greater Richmond-Petersburg region has been increasing since 2000, even as unemployment rates have improved in recent years.
That's according to a new report from the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg released Monday.
The report found that from 2000 to 2014, the percent of people living in poverty increased from 8.5 to 12.6. The region's population also grew about 5.5 percent.
The change was especially marked in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties, where the percent increase was more than double that of the region's cities.
The group's President and CEO James Taylor says the numbers show the area's increasing stratification of wealth.
The report also found a reduction in teen pregnancies and increases in high school graduation rates.
