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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions

Pennsylvania Population Projections 2050: Analysis of Future Youth
Fact sheet examining the current and future population trends of youth ages 0-19 in Pennsylvania. Features statistics on historical and projected growth in Pennsylvania youth population by age cohort for rural and urban counties from 1990-2050 and a county-level map showing changes in youth population from 2000-2020
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Changes to Population Distribution and Commuting Patterns Blur the Line Between Rural and Urban
Highlights the change in commuting patterns between rural workers and urban areas and describes the impact on rural communities and economies. Discusses the multiple definitions of rural.
Author(s): Earlene K.P. Dowell
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Performance of Health Care Service Area Definitions for Capturing Variation in Inpatient Care and Social Determinants of Health
Examines various health care service area (HCSA) definitions and their ability to capture hospitalizations and social determinants of health (SDOH) heterogeneity in the patient population. Provides descriptive characteristics for each HCSA type, such as median population and land size, as well as characteristics of the hospital sample. Discusses which HCSA type was best able to capture hospital discharges and population heterogenity in rural areas.
Author(s): Hannah Crook, Manuel Horta, Kenneth A. Michelson, John A. Graves
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(4)
Date: 08/2024
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Core Based Statistical Areas
Provides an overview of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs). Identifies key terms related to CBSAs, including central counties, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, outlying counties, and more. Includes information on revisions and updates to CBSAs, relevant legislation, and issues of interest for Congress.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Promoting Rural Financial Well-Being and Inclusion: Aligning Strategies with Community Needs
Provides measures for financial well-being and defines assets across rural county types, such as high-employment agricultural areas, centers of wealth and health, recreational and cultural areas, and more, and includes economic indicators like income and home ownership rate for each county type. Discusses challenges to financial well-being, strategies to improve economies, and policy considerations.
Author(s): Yipeng Su, Anna Morgan
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Same People, Different Results: Categorizing Cancer Registry Cases Across the Rural-Urban Continuum
Evaluates patient categorization results produced by applying 9 U.S. rural-urban indexes to 1,569 Wisconsin Pancreatic Cancer Registry patients. Discusses indexes' consistency of results, geographic scale, and other concerns related to their application to cancer research.
Author(s): Andrea M. Schiefelbein, John K. Krebsbach, Amy K. Taylor, et al.
Citation: Wisconsin Medical Journal, 123(2), 78-87
Date: 05/2024
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An Update to Rural Urban Continuum Codes
Discusses various rural definitions and explains changes to the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC). Includes map of Minnesota depicting changes in RUCC county categorizations from 2013 to 2023 as well as a list of Minnesota counties that had population and corresponding RUCC changes.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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'Rurality' of Nonmetropolitan Counties Varies Across Regions
Presents a map of metro and nonmetro counties based on the 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC). Breaks down the counties on a nine-level scale of rurality.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Defining "Rural" and Utilizing VA Data Sources to Improve Rural Veterans Access to Care
Webinar recording discussing federal rural designations, how rural is defined by the Office of Rural Health in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and using VHA data sources.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organizations: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development, Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas of the United States and Puerto Rico
Map of the United States displaying metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas by county using data from the Office and Management and Budget (OMB). Uses metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas as defined by OMB as of July 2023.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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