Low-income status was the lot of 26% of open-country residents over 15 years of age in the East North Central States, a 1967 sample survey showed. Many residents were unprepared to compete in today's labor market. Of those with low income, 37% had no economic potential because of age (over 65) or disability and needed some form of income maintenance to alleviate poverty. Of those considered to have economic potential, 20% could expect to escape poverty through job retraining. If 2 or more members of a consumer unit (an individual or a family) were retrained, as many as 25% of the consumer units might escape poverty. Fewer than one-half of those potentially able to escape poverty were interested in retraining, which challenges retraining program administrators to develop innovative training delivery systems. Very few respondents had potential for becoming successful farmers. (Author/LS)