A sample of 120 low-income families receiving food commodities in 3 eastern South Dakota counties provided a socio-demographic overview of family characteristics; tested the Culture of Poverty approach for classifying rural, low-income families; tested the homogeneity among these families; and presented implications for policy-making and program planning. Findings from the first objective showed: average age of household was 46 years, average education 9 years, employed in agriculture, family size of 6 persons, average family income $2,300, poor housing and facilities, and social isolation. The second objective showed that 14 characteristics of the Culture of Poverty concept were not distributed homogeneously. The significant characteristics of the 3 poverty types were education, occupation, unemployment, mobility, status, anomie, isolation, organization participation, family stability, and attitudes toward education. It was noted that the following areas should be considered in research and program planning: retraining, median age, residence, mass media, organizational participation, isolation, health, and family size. (PS)