Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Housing and homelessness
Rural Research Brief: It's Cold out There! Home Heating (and the Lack of) In Rural America
Discusses home heating safety, energy costs, and utilities expenses in rural areas across the United States. Provides interactive county-level U.S. maps showing heating fuel type and prevalence of mobile homes.
Author(s): Lance George
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Discusses home heating safety, energy costs, and utilities expenses in rural areas across the United States. Provides interactive county-level U.S. maps showing heating fuel type and prevalence of mobile homes.
Author(s): Lance George
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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The Cost of Living in Minnesota: Highest in the Metro, Rising Fastest in Rural Areas
Examines cost of living across Minnesota counties and the economic variables driving costs. Utilizes Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) data to analyze hourly wages, housing, transportation, child care, and more. Provides interactive county-level maps to show cost of living changes.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Examines cost of living across Minnesota counties and the economic variables driving costs. Utilizes Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) data to analyze hourly wages, housing, transportation, child care, and more. Provides interactive county-level maps to show cost of living changes.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Addressing Older Adult Homelessness and Housing Instability in Rural California
Discusses homelessness among older adults in rural California, highlighting their risk factors and infrastructure challenges. Offers policy recommendations covering data collection, resource allocation, service coordination, support services, and legal solutions.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Discusses homelessness among older adults in rural California, highlighting their risk factors and infrastructure challenges. Offers policy recommendations covering data collection, resource allocation, service coordination, support services, and legal solutions.
Author(s): Pauline DeLange Martinez, Elizabeth Bogumil, Helen Miltiades, et al.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organizations: The SCAN Foundation, UC Davis Health
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Recovery Through a Disability Lens: Impacts of the 2023 Maui Wildfires on Disability Equity and Shared Prosperity
Reports on the impacts of the August 2023 Hawaii wildfires on the housing, employment and income, health, and life satisfaction of West Maui or Kula residents with disabilities. Details how disaster preparedness and recovery policy influence health and quality-of-life disparities for people with disabilities.
Additional links: Plain Language Version
Author(s): Daniela Bond-Smith, Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai'i
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Reports on the impacts of the August 2023 Hawaii wildfires on the housing, employment and income, health, and life satisfaction of West Maui or Kula residents with disabilities. Details how disaster preparedness and recovery policy influence health and quality-of-life disparities for people with disabilities.
Additional links: Plain Language Version
Author(s): Daniela Bond-Smith, Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai'i
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Benzodiazepines and Opioid Co-Use Among Rural People Who Use Drugs: Findings From the Rural Opioid Initiative
Explores the patterns of co-usage of benzodiazepines and opioids in rural areas. Highlights data related to health outcomes, demographic characteristics, interactions with law enforcement, and the co-use of other drugs, among other measures.
Author(s): L. Sarah Mixson, Arvind Venkataraman, Lydia N. Drumright, et al.
Citation: Substance Use & Addiction Journal, 46(4), 847-858
Date: 10/2025
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Explores the patterns of co-usage of benzodiazepines and opioids in rural areas. Highlights data related to health outcomes, demographic characteristics, interactions with law enforcement, and the co-use of other drugs, among other measures.
Author(s): L. Sarah Mixson, Arvind Venkataraman, Lydia N. Drumright, et al.
Citation: Substance Use & Addiction Journal, 46(4), 847-858
Date: 10/2025
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Housing Production in Rural America: Where Have We Been, and Where Are We Now?
Provides information on rural housing supply from 2013 to 2023. Includes data on houses built and houses lost as well as a U.S. map showing housing change in rural counties.
Author(s): Keith Wiley, Lance George
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Provides information on rural housing supply from 2013 to 2023. Includes data on houses built and houses lost as well as a U.S. map showing housing change in rural counties.
Author(s): Keith Wiley, Lance George
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Time to Build: How Do We Develop More (Affordable) Housing in Rural America?
Provides discussion on housing policy, statistics on rural housing supply, and potential solutions to provide more rural housing options, such as utilizing public lands, manufactured homes, and more. Includes county-level data on housing unit changes and metro versus nonmetro trends in new single family homes.
Additional links: Housing Unit Change, 2013-2023 Infographic
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Provides discussion on housing policy, statistics on rural housing supply, and potential solutions to provide more rural housing options, such as utilizing public lands, manufactured homes, and more. Includes county-level data on housing unit changes and metro versus nonmetro trends in new single family homes.
Additional links: Housing Unit Change, 2013-2023 Infographic
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Older Americans Act: Greatest Economic and Social Needs of Rural Older Adults
Policy brief discussing the economic and social needs for rural older adults. Offers policy and action recommendations for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, discussing rural aging programs, affordable housing, access to nutrition, social isolation, healthcare workforce shortages, and caregiver support.
Author(s): Kathy Greenlee, Abby Cox, L. Carter Florence, Josh Protas, and Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief discussing the economic and social needs for rural older adults. Offers policy and action recommendations for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, discussing rural aging programs, affordable housing, access to nutrition, social isolation, healthcare workforce shortages, and caregiver support.
Author(s): Kathy Greenlee, Abby Cox, L. Carter Florence, Josh Protas, and Rebecca Yeboah
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Annual Report To the Congress of the United States On Sanitation Deficiency Levels for Indian Homes and Communities: Fiscal Year 2024
Reports on sanitation deficiencies in tribal communities and describes efforts and priorities of the Indian Health Service to improve tribal water, sewer, and solid waste infrastructure. Includes data on estimated costs to address sanitation deficiencies, estimated health impacts, and healthcare costs avoided by infrastructure investment.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Reports on sanitation deficiencies in tribal communities and describes efforts and priorities of the Indian Health Service to improve tribal water, sewer, and solid waste infrastructure. Includes data on estimated costs to address sanitation deficiencies, estimated health impacts, and healthcare costs avoided by infrastructure investment.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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Comprehensive Analysis of the Supply, Demand, and Affordability of Senior Housing in Rural Pennsylvania
Examines the housing circumstances of rural Pennsylvania residents age 65 and over, by analyzing population projections, demographics, housing situations, and financial conditions. Features statistics including health insurance status of senior residents, with breakdowns by private, public, or no insurance, and numbers of senior residents who lived in a nursing home during 2023, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Thuy Bui, Benjamas Jirasakuldech
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Examines the housing circumstances of rural Pennsylvania residents age 65 and over, by analyzing population projections, demographics, housing situations, and financial conditions. Features statistics including health insurance status of senior residents, with breakdowns by private, public, or no insurance, and numbers of senior residents who lived in a nursing home during 2023, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Thuy Bui, Benjamas Jirasakuldech
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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