Report: Suburban poverty doubles in metro

The number of suburban Twin Cities residents living in poverty has more than doubled over the last decade, according to a new report.

Data analyzed by the Brookings Institution show there are 115,000 more poor people living in the Twin Cities suburbs than there were 10 years ago.

Brookings looked at census and other data from close to 100 metropolitan areas for its new book, "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America."

Suburbs around the country have seen spikes in poverty, but the increase in the Twin Cities suburbs was one of the largest.

The economy is only part of the story. Poverty grew much faster in the suburbs than it did in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The book cites population growth as a possible factor. As the number of people who live in the suburbs has risen, so has the poverty rate.

In spite of the dramatic increase, the poverty rate in the Twin Cities suburbs stands at less than 8 percent. That's a fraction of the rate in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it's also lower than most other suburban areas.