A study was conducted to: determine the aspirations and capabilities of rural youth in selected low-income counties in Arkansas; relate aspirations, capabilities, and the discrepancy between the two to the experience background of the youths studied; and relate the youths' occupational plans to present and projected labor market requirements. The sample for this study included 165 senior boys in 10 high schools in Little River and Sevier Counties, Arkansas. In addition to obtaining background information by administering a questionnaire and checking school records, 7 tests and inventories were administered. Five variables were found to be significantly related to occupational aspirations: mechanical interest, scientific interest, ascendance, social class value orientation, and the number of years of education and training planned after high school. In addition, the level of occupational aspiration indicated by this sample of rural boys was similar to groups in high-income, urban areas in Michigan. (VM)