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Key indicators:
• Average per capita income, Unemployment, Food stamp recipients, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children were all indicators.
  
  
• Children who live in deteriorating and crime-ridden neighborhoods characterized by extreme poverty are more likely to develop problems with delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout, and violence.
  
  
• Children who live in these areas - and have behavior and adjustment problems early in life - are also more likely to have problems with drugs later on.

Rationale for prioritizing risk factor:
• Most of the committee members agreed that this risk factor is one of importance within any community, and within the family. One member stated that people do not intentionally get involved in drugs or alcohol, but often use it as an escape mechanism, and soon it is heavily influencing every aspect of their life, including marriage, children, and work. While economic and social deprivation are not the cause of violence or drug and/or alcohol use, they can bring on a large degree of hopelessness, from which crime, ATOD usage, and violence could arise or worsen.
  
  
• Each of the indicators in this category are considerably different in comparison with the State numbers. While the trends seem to be showing some improvement, there is still quite a large expanse between our situation and those of the state average. Poverty or extremely low incomes can have a negative impact on children from before birth through adulthood. This risk factor can easily be clustered with a number of other risk factors.