Child poverty in the 1990's remained high, especially in the rural South. In 1998, the poverty rate for children in the rural South was nearly 27 percent, compared with 17 percent for rural children in the rest of the Nation. A higher proportion of poor children in the rural South are in severe poverty, a level of family income under 50 percent of the poverty level. Poor children are more likely to live in mother-only families, to be Black, and to have parents who are younger, less educated, and not employed. The composition of the rural South's population contributes to the region's high child poverty.