Suburban Poverty Surges: See The 11 Areas Hit The Hardest (PHOTOS)

Over the last decade, much of the conversation surrounding poverty in America has focused on the urban poor. But according to a report released by the Brookings Institution today, there are now more impoverished people living in suburban areas than in the cities they border.

Between 2000 and 2008, the number of poor people living in America rose by 15.4 percent -- nearly twice the growth rate in the overall population in the same period. But the growth wasn't even across geographical areas.

The poverty rate in American suburbs increased 25 percent during that period -- and is growing significantly faster than the national average and urban rate. Due in large part to suburban population growth and the housing slump, the suburbs now contain the nation's biggest and fastest-growing poor population.

And some suburban areas' poor populations -- particularly those in the Midwest -- are growing faster than others. The Brookings Institution ranked metropolitan areas by the increase over the last decade in their share of suburban poor.

Check out the list below of the areas that are being hit the hardest by a rise in the suburban poor:

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