Jefferson County is fourth-poorest in U.S. ; the recession came late but hit hard . Sometimes , breadwinners must leave state , and their families , to scrape by . County administrator Brenda T. Buck wants to bring jobs close to home . The county has a population of about 50,000 people who live mostly on farms or ranches that are struggling with low prices for crops like corn and soybeans as well as high unemployment rates among young people.
Jefferson County is fourth-poorest in U.S. ; the recession came late but hit hard . Sometimes , breadwinners must leave state , and their families , to scrape by . County administrator Brenda T. Buck wants to bring jobs close to home . She considers every new job created in her county a small victory .