Koderma district occupies the northern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The average altitude is 397 m above sea level. The topography is hilly and the area mostly has laterite soil with patches of clay. Although the net area sown is around 13% of the total area, Monsoon dependent agriculture supports majority of the population. Forest area covers 43% of the total area. Koderma Reserve Forest occupies the northern part of the district. Density of population in the district was 282 persons per km2. Koderma district was once famous for its mica production but low quality of mica ore and high cost of production led to closure of many units. Only two units still survive. Around 40-50% of the families are below poverty line. Based on the number of households in 2011 census and BPL revision survey of 2010-11, the percentage of BPL families in the rural areas is 64.22%.