Rural America Experiences Modest Population Growth

After six years of consecutive population loss, rural America is growing, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

The recently released Rural America at a Glance Report reveals that the growth is driven by net migration, or movement into rural areas, rather than birth rates exceeding death rates.

“Improved labor market conditions across much of rural America, along with higher incomes and recovering real estate markets, account for rural areas as a whole losing fewer residents and attracting more newcomers,” ERS geographer John Cromartie said in the report.

The more significant bumps in population have been in areas relatively close to cities or those considered scenic.

Remote areas in Appalachia, as well as in the high-poverty southeast and border areas of the southwest, continued to lose residents. Parts of North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, and Pennsylvania also saw population slides, which likely resulted from diminishing employment opportunities.

The modest net increase in total rural population—33,000 more people in 2016/2017 compared to 2011/2012—does little to influence the overall rural population of 46.1 million since 2013.

The report reveals that rural America is about 80 percent white. Hispanics are the fastest growing segment, representing about 9 percent of the rural population.

Source: Agriculture.com