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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions

Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America
Illustrates a broad range of demographic, economic, and county classification data on rural areas across the U.S. in an online, interactive mapping tool. Choose "Select Map to Display" to choose data.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
Determines if a community is rural according to the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's (FORHP) definition.
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Am I Rural?
Helps determine whether a specific location is considered rural based on various definitions of rural, including definitions that are used as eligibility criteria for federal programs. Definitions covered include Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs), Core Based Statistical Areas, Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC), and Urban Influence Codes (UICs).
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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What is Rural? Topic Guide
Provides resources, information, and frequently asked questions on the various definitions used to identify rural areas in the United States. Explains how definitions of rural are used, identifies the most common definitions, and discusses differences between definitions. Identifies data sources for identifying geographic areas as rural and lists tools for checking geographic eligibility for federal programs targeting rural areas.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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North Carolina Rural Health Research Program Cartographic Archives
A collection of maps that define rural and characterize rural America. Includes a variety of maps showing rural areas based on different definitions. Thematic maps cover demographics, health status, Critical Access Hospitals, rural hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and health workforce supply.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Codes
A list of rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) code data sets, including RUCA codes by ZIP code. RUCA codes classify U.S. census tracts using measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting. The most recent RUCA codes are based on data from the 2010 decennial census and the 2006-10 American Community Survey decennial census.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Urban and Rural Classification
Provides an explanation of the urban and rural classification systems currently used to identify individual urban and rural areas of the U.S. Includes links to documents, maps, and facts related to 2000, 2010, and 2020 Urban Area delineations.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan
Defines and explains the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas for purposes of collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal data. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area definitions result from applying published standards to Census Bureau data.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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What is Rural?
Describes the primary methods the federal government uses to define rural areas. Includes links to additional resources addressing this issue.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Information Center
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Rural-Urban Continuum Codes
Provides access to Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), a classification system that distinguishes metropolitan counties by population size and nonmetro counties by degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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