The following list contains the 420 counties and eight independent cities that comprise the region of Appalachia as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission, even though the delineation of which Counties said commission places in Appalachia is quite flawed. The ARC was established by the United States federal government in 1965 to alleviate poverty in the Appalachian region, and currently monitors areas in 13 states. The list shows the population of each county as of the 2000 U.S. Census; cities in Virginia, which are legally independent of counties, are included within the county with which they were historically associated. It also gives the following four variables: 3-year average unemployment rate, based on data collected 2006-2008 Per capita market income, as of 2007 Poverty rate, showing what percentage of the county lives below the national poverty rate, as of 2000 Status, the ARC's economic status designation for the county, based on the three variables above. There are five possible designations: Distressed — these counties have at least twice the national poverty rate and have a per capita market income 67% of the national average or a three-year average unemployment rate that is twice the national average. At-Risk — these counties meet two of the following three criteria: 1) 3-year unemployment rate 125% of the national average, 2) per capita market income 67% or less of national average, or 3) poverty rate of 125% or more of the national average Transitional — these counties are worse than the national average on at least one of the three indicators, but do not meet criteria for "At-Risk" or "Distressed" Competitive — these counties have a three-year unemployment rate and poverty rate at least equal to the national average, and a per capita market income at least 80% of the national average Attainment — these counties are at least equal to the national average on all three indicators. To date, only six counties meet Attainment status, with five of them between Alabama and Georgia; the three that are in Georgia (Cherokee, Forsyth, and Gwinnett) are all part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The other county that has reached Attainment status, as of 2013, is in Virginia. The national 3-year average unemployment rate for the United States was 5.0% in the period 2006-2008. The national per capita market income was $32,930 in 2007. The national poverty rate was 12.4% in 2000. The 3-year average unemployment rate