Investing in Rural Capacity: Comprehensive Summary of the National Rural Development Stakeholder Listening Sessions
Discusses investments in capacity that improve quality of life in rural areas. Reports on responses from organizational stakeholders from the 4 U.S. Regional Rural Development Centers based on survey data and listening sessions that took place between 2021 and 2022. Focuses on strategies to address physical infrastructure, workforce and economic development, community vibrancy, climate change, health, agriculture and food systems, and equity in rural areas.
Author(s): Jason S. Entsminger, John J. Green, Rachel Welborn, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Regional Rural Development Centers
view details

Selected Charts from Ag and Food Statistics Charting the Essentials
Report highlights the various measures of the rural and agricultural economy. Includes rates of rural versus urban poverty and unemployment, as well as rates of food security in principal cities, suburban, and rural areas.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details

Virginia Rural Hospital Report: The Challenge Before Us
Highlights the public health and economic contributions made by the 28 Virginia rural hospitals and the challenges they face. Features statistics on admissions, births, beds, and fulltime employees, and county-level maps showing locations of rural hospitals and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association
view details

Engaging Rural Communities to Incorporate Social Determinants in Developing Strategies to Improve Access to Health Care in the Missouri Bootheel Counties
Presents a study on how social determinants of health affect healthcare access in several rural counties in Missouri. Discusses the perceived barriers to care in the rural "Bootheel" counties, such as economic issues, lack of health insurance coverage, and lack of coordinated care, among others.
Author(s): Ashish Shrestha, Katherine Stamatakis, Janice Ballard
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23, 7678
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
view details

Mental Health in Rural New York: Findings and Implications of a Listening Tour with Residents and Professionals
Findings from the Rural Mental Health Listening Tour of New York State, conducted between March 2020 and September 2021 to elicit input and experiences of community members living and working in rural areas. Presents strengths and assets of rural communities, and highlights model programs and success stories. Includes recommendations in categories including access to transportation and broadband, access to mental health programs, availability of services, improving and sustaining workforce capacity, and offers state- and county-specific recommendations.
Author(s): Brett Harris, Katie Gallant, Abby Mariani
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
view details

COVID-19 Working Paper: Consumer Food Spending Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines U.S. consumer food-at-home (FAH) and food-away-from home (FAFH) purchasing behaviors prior to (2016-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). Provides spending data for U.S. households by age, race and ethnicity, household composition, income, and region. Includes budget share data for fruits, vegetables, and protein, and per capita spending on FAH and FAFH by region and urban/rural areas.
Author(s): Abigail Okrent, Eliana Zeballos
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details

Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Rural Voters National Survey Key Findings
Presentation slides showing results of a poll of 1,006 rural and small town voters, conducted by the bipartisan research team of New Bridge Strategy and Hart Research. Explores issues including food insecurity, inflation, and availability of child care and early childhood education.
Additional links: Polling Memo
Date: 11/2022
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Save the Children Action Network
view details

Health, Work, and Care in Rural America
Report examining rural access to paid leave from work, the economic impacts of limited access to paid leave, and distances to hospital-based and skilled nursing care. Offers a broad view of rural economic and health dynamics, travel burdens to access hospital-based care, and presents policy recommendations to address paid leave as a social determinant of health.
Author(s): Vicki Shabo, Hannah Friedman
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New America
view details

Rural America at a Glance: 2022 Edition
Provides an overview of social and economic factors affecting rural America, with a focus on economic sectors, the labor force, and job growth. Examines population trends, impact of COVID-19 on workers, and rural versus urban labor data.
Additional links: Webinar
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details

Through Natural Disaster to Prosperity: Five Principles to Improve Health and Economic Outcomes for Rural Communities and Native Nations
Describes 5 principles related to natural disasters and community resilience, including conditions that affect disaster vulnerability, relationships among rural communities and natural systems, equity in disaster response, local capacity, and responsive funding. Offers rural and tribal case studies and perspectives from rural economic and community development practitioners.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
view details