Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Employment and unemployment
Navigating Disability Benefits: New Research on Administrative Burden and Work Incentives
A recorded webinar that discusses the difficulty of navigating income support for people with low incomes and/or disabilities. Focuses on supplemental security income (SSI) and social security disability insurance (SSDI) application, eligibility, and work incentives. Includes SSI and SSDI policy challenges for rural residents, such as transportation, digital access, and legal representation.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Debra L. Brucker, Mike Levere, Ramonia Rochester
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin–Madison Institute for Research on Poverty
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A recorded webinar that discusses the difficulty of navigating income support for people with low incomes and/or disabilities. Focuses on supplemental security income (SSI) and social security disability insurance (SSDI) application, eligibility, and work incentives. Includes SSI and SSDI policy challenges for rural residents, such as transportation, digital access, and legal representation.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Debra L. Brucker, Mike Levere, Ramonia Rochester
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin–Madison Institute for Research on Poverty
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Opportunities for Employers to Address the Opioid Epidemic: Results from a National Survey
Surveys 1,010 employees to learn their perspective on the Recovery-Ready Workplace (RRW) framework, a federally created opioid intervention for employers. Evaluates the implementation of the 4 areas addressed by RRW, noting areas for improvement related to Narcan access, stigma, and work arrangements that accommodate treatment.
Author(s): Gillian K. SteelFisher, Brian C. Castrucci, Mary G. Findling, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
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Surveys 1,010 employees to learn their perspective on the Recovery-Ready Workplace (RRW) framework, a federally created opioid intervention for employers. Evaluates the implementation of the 4 areas addressed by RRW, noting areas for improvement related to Narcan access, stigma, and work arrangements that accommodate treatment.
Author(s): Gillian K. SteelFisher, Brian C. Castrucci, Mary G. Findling, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
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Looking Back on the Origins of the NMTC New Markets Tax Credit Coalition
Provides an overview of The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition projects and investments from the 1980s to present day. Includes stories related to rural job creation and rural economic development.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: The New Markets Tax Credit Coalition
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Provides an overview of The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition projects and investments from the 1980s to present day. Includes stories related to rural job creation and rural economic development.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: The New Markets Tax Credit Coalition
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Worker Displacement in Appalachia: Using Detailed Industry and Firm Data to Link the Displaced Worker Supplement to Appalachia
Examines worker displacement and its impact in the Appalachian region of the United States. Includes a literature review as well as demographic, employment, and county-level characteristics and experiences of displaced workers. Provides comparisons of metro versus nonmetro areas and discusses health and well-being impacts of displacement.
Author(s): Erin Kenney, Teresa M. Lynch
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Examines worker displacement and its impact in the Appalachian region of the United States. Includes a literature review as well as demographic, employment, and county-level characteristics and experiences of displaced workers. Provides comparisons of metro versus nonmetro areas and discusses health and well-being impacts of displacement.
Author(s): Erin Kenney, Teresa M. Lynch
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, household characteristics, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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State- and county-level information on population, age, household characteristics, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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Rural-Suburban-Urban Differences in Caregiving in the Northeast U.S. Region
Analyzes characteristics of caregiving experiences in the Northeast according to rural, suburban, or urban geography. Focuses on percentage of people who have provided caregiving, as well as their income, weekly care expenses, use of social safety net programs, desire to participate in the workforce, and demographic profile.
Author(s): Elena Pojman, Florence Becot
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, PennState
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Analyzes characteristics of caregiving experiences in the Northeast according to rural, suburban, or urban geography. Focuses on percentage of people who have provided caregiving, as well as their income, weekly care expenses, use of social safety net programs, desire to participate in the workforce, and demographic profile.
Author(s): Elena Pojman, Florence Becot
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organizations: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, PennState
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Compared With Urban Counties, Rural Counties Had a Lower Share of Working-Age Populations and a Higher Share of Residents Older Than 60 in 2023
Chart showing percentages of working-age populations and share of residents older than 60 in 2023, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Richelle L. Winkler
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Chart showing percentages of working-age populations and share of residents older than 60 in 2023, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Richelle L. Winkler
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Economic Hardship and Health Within Sociodemographic and Occupational Groups — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2022–2023
Reports on economic hardship measures and self-rated health among employed and recently unemployed adults. Hardship measures included lack of health insurance, cost of medical care, employment instability, food insecurity, housing insecurity, utility insecurity, lack of reliable transportation, and receipt of food benefits. Provides data by occupation, including for people employed in farming, fishing, and forestry.
Author(s): Sharon R. Silver, Jia Li, Taylor M. Shockey
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(19), 326-333
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Reports on economic hardship measures and self-rated health among employed and recently unemployed adults. Hardship measures included lack of health insurance, cost of medical care, employment instability, food insecurity, housing insecurity, utility insecurity, lack of reliable transportation, and receipt of food benefits. Provides data by occupation, including for people employed in farming, fishing, and forestry.
Author(s): Sharon R. Silver, Jia Li, Taylor M. Shockey
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(19), 326-333
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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County Typology Codes
Presents county-level typology codes, comprising Economic Typology Codes based on the industrial composition of nonmetropolitan counties and Demographic Typology Codes based on demographic characteristics, such as employment, population, poverty, and others. Classifies all counties in the 50 U.S. States and Washington, D.C. for which data are available.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Presents county-level typology codes, comprising Economic Typology Codes based on the industrial composition of nonmetropolitan counties and Demographic Typology Codes based on demographic characteristics, such as employment, population, poverty, and others. Classifies all counties in the 50 U.S. States and Washington, D.C. for which data are available.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Trends and Patterns of Job Quality in the United States
Studies job quality trends including wage levels, employer sponsored health insurance, and retirement benefits between 2000 and 2022 for workers in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Also considers other factors such as race and ethnicity, sex, and industry.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Ephraim M. Nkonya, John Pender
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Studies job quality trends including wage levels, employer sponsored health insurance, and retirement benefits between 2000 and 2022 for workers in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Also considers other factors such as race and ethnicity, sex, and industry.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Ephraim M. Nkonya, John Pender
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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