Farming continues in the South today, although not to the extent that it was practiced during Reconstruction, and the crops are different. Today instead of cotton and tobacco, Southern farms grow crops like soybeans and corn. Also common are family-owned chicken farms or egg farms, that also focus on a single product. Sharecropping and tenant farming are no longer common methods of agriculture. However, farming families often to become subject to the same type of cycles of debt as tenant farmers did during Reconstruction, never making enough money to pay off the debts they owe, and sometimes losing their farms.
Today, much of the agriculture in the South has been replaced by other types of jobs, including manufacturing and service jobs. Examples of this type of industry include, car manufacturing, telecommunications, textile manufacturing, technology, banking, and aviation. Bank of America has their banking headquarters in North Carolina. Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMW all have major manufacturing plants in states like Alabama.
The Southern economy is much stronger now than it was during Reconstruction. This is especially true because of the diversification of the economy, and also because of the investment of jobs and capital during the 20th century. One aspect that has not gone away altogether, however, is the economic gap between the North and the South. The South still has high rates of poverty, especially in rural areas.
Rank, State, Median Income
1 Mississippi $35,693
2 Arkansas $37,987
3 West Virginia $39,170
4 Tennessee $40,034
5 South Carolina $41,548
6 Montana $41,587
7 Kentucky $41,828
8 Alabama $42,144
9 North Carolina $42,337
10 Louisiana $42,423
Source: CNN.com
Rank, State, Median Income
1 Mississippi $35,693
2 Arkansas $37,987
3 West Virginia $39,170
4 Tennessee $40,034
5 South Carolina $41,548
6 Montana $41,587
7 Kentucky $41,828
8 Alabama $42,144
9 North Carolina $42,337
10 Louisiana $42,423
Source: CNN.com