A new interactive mapping tool released by the Urban Institute graphically demonstrates that poverty in U.S. urban areas looks dramatically different than it did thirty years ago. The tool combines U.S. Census and American Community Survey data from 1980 to 2010 on a map, allowing users to observe changes in spatial concentrations of poverty across the U.S. by directly comparing distributions of poverty in a given city at different points in time. The map shows that overall levels of poverty are on the rise, with especially notable increases in suburban areas. In St. Louis, for example, dense concentrations of poverty around the city center in 1980 have given way to a more dispersed distribution of poverty throughout the greater urban area in 2010. According to an analysis of this tool done by The Atlantic Cities, the demographics of the urban poor have shifted as well. Since 1980, poor Hispanic populations have dramatically increased, especially in southwestern cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix. Incidences of racial segregation among the poor are mixed. In some cities, such as Detroit and Milwaukee, the poor are concentrated in racial and ethnic enclaves, while in other cities, such as Houston, different racial and ethnic populations are more evenly distributed across low income areas. The Urban Institute’s mapping tool is a useful visual indicator of the shifting patterns of poverty in cities across America. By creating these maps, Urban Institute researchers intend to foster conversation and additional research on how to best connect low income areas with the opportunities and resources they need to fight inequality and improve their economic well-being. Access the Urban Institute mapping tool, Poverty and Race in America, Then and Now, at: http://urbn.is/121lafRAccess The Atlantic Cities’ analysis of the Urban Institute’s maps at: http://bit.ly/1ayeLRk