The high percentage of poverty in Jamestown is caused by several factors. The town’s remote location is one of the factors. In general, earnings in rural areas are typically lower than those in urban areas.
The downturn of Jamestown’s manufacturing sector is an additional factor. Several manufacturing facilities used to be located in Jamestown, however, recently many of these facilities have closed. As a result, the local economy has contracted and jobs have been lost.
Jamestown is a very small community in Fentress County with a population of about 18,000 people. The typical household earnings in this city are the lowest in the state, at $32,193. This is much less than the $43,314 state median and the $69,021 national median.