Across the United States, students attending rural school districts can face different obstacles than their urban counterparts, particularly rural students from households living below the federal poverty level. But how rural districts are defined can vary by federal, state, and local entity and can sometimes not capture the difficulties specific…

This report provides a descriptive comparison of the early care and education (ECE) landscape across rural, moderate-density urban (suburban), and high-density urban areas. The goal of this comparison was to understand whether ECE availability and characteristics in rural areas differ from those in more densely populated communities. We used…

Objective: This report examines the prevalence of developmental disabilities among children in both rural and urban areas as well as service utilization among children with developmental issues in both areas. Methods: Data from the 2015-2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to examine the prevalence of 10 parent- or…

Fourteen percent of the nation's population lives in rural communities, and one in five K-12 students attends a rural school. This is a substantial portion of the population, but it's far too often overlooked by education analysts, advocates, and policymakers. Rural communities tend to face some persistent challenges, including higher rates of…

This report describes the extent and distribution of student mobility in five Central Region states. The study, which calculated student mobility percentages in each state and compared percentages by locale (city, suburb, town, and rural locale, and degree of rurality) within each state, found no consistent patterns across locales. Research…

Three-quarters of U.S. residents used the Internet to access information, education, and services in 2007. Widespread Internet adoption suggests it has great value to individuals, businesses, and communities. Broadband Internet access is becoming essential for both businesses and households; many compare its evolution to other technologies now…

The revolution in telecommunications technology will be a driving force in the future economic growth of rural areas. Federal and state universal service policies requiring delivery of service to rural areas were major factors in how the telephone system evolved during the 20th century. In the 1990s, telephone penetration rates were similar for…

This booklet profiles key economic and social features of rural Arkansas. Data are drawn from reports by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Arkansas state agencies. About half of Arkansas' people live in rural areas, and most of these live in open country (not incorporated areas) and are completely dependent on county…

Federal funds to rural areas and small towns grew more rapidly in 1976-79 (the most recent data available for analysis) than Federal funding to metropolitan areas, but were still 10% less than the 1979 average. Nonmetro Federal funding per capita reached $1,994 (87% of the metro level). The South received $172 billion in Federal funds, more than…

By 1997, almost half of all U.S. workers used computers on the job, and such workers generally received higher wages than non-users. However, on-the-job use was less common in nonmetro areas than in metro areas, and wages for nonmetro workers were generally lower. But is computer use instrumental in explaining the metro-nonmetro wage gap? A survey…

This United Nation's publication presents data on the size and growth of urban and rural populations for all countries of the world and contains revised estimates and projections for all urban agglomerations that had at least one million inhabitants in 1990. Chapter 1 presents levels of urbanization and future trends for urban and rural…

During the 1980s, federal spending for procurement, particularly defense procurement, retirement and survivors' benefits, medical benefits, and agricultural assistance payments grew dramatically, while spending for grants and salaries and wages lagged. But, the overall distribution of funding between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas remained…

Based on the 1979 Annual Housing Survey, the elderly--especially the rural elderly--are more likely than other groups to live in inadequate housing. Housing was defined as inadequate if it had one or more of the following flaws: incomplete plumbing facilities, incomplete kitchen facilities, leaking roof, holes in walls or ceilings, and exposed…

Reviews employment growth in rural and small town communities, focusing on two periods, 1940-70 and 1970-80. For the rest of the 1980s, predicts a slower growth in nonmetro areas--that is, slower than in metro areas and slower than in the 1970s--yet not as slow as in the 1960s. (JHZ)

This report represents a county-level Pennsylvania data base focused on variables of significance to rural communities. The data includes computations of per capita rates for counties in rural, urban influence, and urban clusters. This report is intended for comparing rural counties to other areas of the state. Three categories are used to present…