Insee Première · October 2023 · n° 1968

Poverty and territories: more young people and social housing tenants in large cities, more pensioners among the poor in rural areas

Six profiles of poor households reflect the diversity of poverty situations. They differ according to employment status, age and housing occupancy status. They all live mainly in urban areas, with different geographical distributions across the national territory. Poor retired households live more in rural areas than poor households overall. They account for 27% of poor households, but only 18% of poor people, as they are most often made up of a single person. Households that are in employment but receive low incomes from work (18% of poor households) are mostly families with children, and are over‑represented in the north-west quarter and in the former Rhône‑Alpes and Franche‑Comté regions. The under‑30s who are not in employment (11%) mostly live alone and are relatively more numerous in large student cities. Among other poor households not in employment, homeowners (10%) are over‑represented in rural areas, and a relatively high proportion of their income comes from unemployment benefit. The income of tenants depends largely on social benefits. Those living in private housing (17%) are over‑represented around the Méditerranée; those living in social housing (17%), mainly families with children, are 90% resident in urban areas and are relatively more present in the northern half of the national territory.