Rural America Makes Comeback

The latest data from the USDA’s Economic Research Service tells us that unemployment has declined in rural America, and median annual earnings increased.

In its 2016 edition of Rural America at a Glance, the USDA reported a 1.3 percent increase in employment between 2013 and 2015 in rural communities. In 2015, rural median earnings rose by more than 2 percent. Median household incomes increased by 3.4 percent. And, the ratio of rural earnings to urban earnings rose from 77 percent in 2007 to nearly 84 percent in 2015.

“Rural America has begun a remarkable comeback,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Key economic indicators continue to show that rural America is rebounding.”

The total population in non-
metro counties was 46.2 million in July 2015, which represents 14 percent of the nation’s population covering 72 percent of the nation’s land area.

Rural unemployment nearly doubled during the Great Recession, rising from 5.2 percent in 2007 to 9.9 percent in 2010. Unemployment fell to 5.7 percent in 2015.

Source: USDA