Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions
Strengthening Rural Primary Care Will Require More Robust Research and Evidence
Examines research barriers of studying primary care in rural areas as well as strategies to improve evidence collection, define rural populations, and locate usable data.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Kevin Bennett, Anushree Vichare, Chris Salyers
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Examines research barriers of studying primary care in rural areas as well as strategies to improve evidence collection, define rural populations, and locate usable data.
Author(s): Celli Horstman, Kevin Bennett, Anushree Vichare, Chris Salyers
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Rural & Safety Net Health Facilities in Arizona: FORHP Rural Areas Highlighted / Frontier and Remote (FAR)
Map of Arizona's Critical Access Hospitals, Indian Health Service and Tribal Facilities, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Highlights FORHP rural area and USDA frontier and remote area definitions.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
view details
Map of Arizona's Critical Access Hospitals, Indian Health Service and Tribal Facilities, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Highlights FORHP rural area and USDA frontier and remote area definitions.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
view details
Nearly 90 Percent of U.S. Census Tracts Are Level or Nearly Level
Map of the United States showing census tracts by topographic ruggedness using a 6-point scale ranging from level to extremely rugged.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Map of the United States showing census tracts by topographic ruggedness using a 6-point scale ranging from level to extremely rugged.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Defining Veteran Rurality: An Analysis of the U.S. Veterans Health Administration Rural–Urban Taxonomy
Examines the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) "Categorization B" rural–urban taxonomies and changes to drive time estimates to VHA care as determined by these taxonomies. Analyzes drive time across RUCA codes, Categorization B designation, and VHA designation. Discusses VHA rural and highly rural designations and the importance of aligning rural definitions to the VHA's access-to-care priorities.
Author(s): Diana J. Govier, Travis I. Lovejoy, Sarah S. Ono, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70182
Date: 07/2026
view details
Examines the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) "Categorization B" rural–urban taxonomies and changes to drive time estimates to VHA care as determined by these taxonomies. Analyzes drive time across RUCA codes, Categorization B designation, and VHA designation. Discusses VHA rural and highly rural designations and the importance of aligning rural definitions to the VHA's access-to-care priorities.
Author(s): Diana J. Govier, Travis I. Lovejoy, Sarah S. Ono, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70182
Date: 07/2026
view details
Rural Lending and the Need for Expanded Access to Credit: Evaluating and Expanded Threshold for Defining Rurality
Explores how access to credit differs by level of rurality, and discusses how federal rural definitions influence rural lending and finance. Includes data on housing supply, distance to maternal care, access to rural school districts, and other housing and financial metrics.
Author(s): Ani Katchova, Alexander Ryan, Micah Mensing
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: The Ohio State University
view details
Explores how access to credit differs by level of rurality, and discusses how federal rural definitions influence rural lending and finance. Includes data on housing supply, distance to maternal care, access to rural school districts, and other housing and financial metrics.
Author(s): Ani Katchova, Alexander Ryan, Micah Mensing
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: The Ohio State University
view details
Oregon Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) Facilities
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the locations of hospitals participating in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP), whether they are type A or B, and whether they are located in a frontier county.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
view details
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the locations of hospitals participating in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP), whether they are type A or B, and whether they are located in a frontier county.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
view details
Challenges Associated With Rural-Urban Stratification for Generalizing Birth Outcomes: Insights From the ECHO Cohort
Analyzes the validity of preterm birth (PTB) prevalence and generalizability related to rural versus urban stratification within the Environmental influences on Child health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort. Examines PTB prevalence during the 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 ECHO cohorts as compared to county-level PTB prevalence from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), further broken down by rural versus urban location and demographic variables. Discusses similarities and differences in PTB prevalence proportions using ECHO versus NCHS and the importance of further context when defining rural places.
Author(s): Daniel Beene, Debra A. MacKenzie, Carlos A. Camargo Jr., et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(2), e70163
Date: 05/2026
view details
Analyzes the validity of preterm birth (PTB) prevalence and generalizability related to rural versus urban stratification within the Environmental influences on Child health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort. Examines PTB prevalence during the 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 ECHO cohorts as compared to county-level PTB prevalence from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), further broken down by rural versus urban location and demographic variables. Discusses similarities and differences in PTB prevalence proportions using ECHO versus NCHS and the importance of further context when defining rural places.
Author(s): Daniel Beene, Debra A. MacKenzie, Carlos A. Camargo Jr., et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(2), e70163
Date: 05/2026
view details
Exploring Definitions of "Rural"
Provides an overview of common definitions of rurality used by federal agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), USDA, and National Center for Health Statistics, as well as the Center for Rural Innovation's own definition. Includes color-coded maps demonstrating how each definition is applied.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
view details
Provides an overview of common definitions of rurality used by federal agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), USDA, and National Center for Health Statistics, as well as the Center for Rural Innovation's own definition. Includes color-coded maps demonstrating how each definition is applied.
Date: 05/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
view details
Multidimensional Approaches to Ranking State-Level Rurality to Enhance Comparisons Across States
Provides a rurality index for all 50 U.S. states, utilizing measures of rural population percentage, rural land area percentage, and rural population density. Discusses the need for a multidimensional measure of rurality to provide an accurate tool for health policy research.
Author(s): Daniel Baslock, Nari Yoo
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population and Health Policy, 140(1), 136-152
Date: 03/2026
view details
Provides a rurality index for all 50 U.S. states, utilizing measures of rural population percentage, rural land area percentage, and rural population density. Discusses the need for a multidimensional measure of rurality to provide an accurate tool for health policy research.
Author(s): Daniel Baslock, Nari Yoo
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population and Health Policy, 140(1), 136-152
Date: 03/2026
view details
Using Rural-Urban Variables: Considerations for Rural Public Health Research
A tip sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussing best practices for using rural and urban variables in public health studies. Discusses rural definitions, differences in rural communities, including rural communities in interpretation, and more.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
view details
A tip sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussing best practices for using rural and urban variables in public health studies. Discusses rural definitions, differences in rural communities, including rural communities in interpretation, and more.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
view details