Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

A Tour of Youth Behavioral Health Services Landscape: Prevalence, Treatment, and the Workforce
Webinar discussing the prevalence of youth mental health conditions, substance use, and treatment in rural areas, the distribution of the youth behavioral health workforce, and the state of Medicaid funding for these services.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Author(s): Janessa Graves, Holly Andrilla, Lisa Garberson, et al.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Health Research Gateway, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Reporting of Rurality, Deprivation, and Socioeconomic Characteristics in Cancer Clinical Trials A Systematic Review
Examines the frequency in which geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics are reported in oncology clinical trial publications. Analyzes 441 randomized clinical trial primary reports for reporting of core demographic characteristics, education, insurance status, deprivation index, income, and rurality. Discusses the importance of cancer research that features sociodemographic and geographic breakdowns of data.
Author(s): Joseph M. Unger
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 9(6), e2619836
Date: 06/2026
view details
Telemedicine Use Among Office-Based Physicians in 2021 and 2024
Offers data showing trends in telehealth utilization by physicians, comparing 2021 and 2024. Includes a comparison between metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and non-MSAs, among other factors.
Author(s): Kelly L. Myrick, Mohsin Mahar, Brian W. Ward
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
Rural-Urban Disparities in Access to Interventional Psychiatry Treatments among VA Patients
Analyzes how access varies to interventional psychiatry treatments, including electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, and medication-assisted psychotherapy, among rural and urban veterans. Uses 2017-2023 VA electronic health record data of veterans with major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses.
Author(s): Brian Shiner, Vincent DuFort, Tayla Peltzman, Bradley V. Watts
Citation: Journal of Rural Mental Health, 50(2), 75-85
Date: 06/2026
view details
New Jersey Obstetrical Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the obstetricians and advanced practice midwives workforce distribution in New Jersey in 2025. Includes county-level data.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
New Jersey Behavioral Health Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the supply and distribution of behavioral health clinicians in New Jersey in 2025. Includes county-level data.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
New Jersey Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in New Jersey in 2025. Includes county-level data.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Relationship Between Food Security and Walking for Transportation: Findings by Region and Rurality
Examines how the relationship between food security and walking for transport varies by geographic region and rurality, using 2022 National Health Interview Survey data.
Author(s): Jessica Stroope, Marilyn E. Wende, Robert E. Anderson III, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(2), e70181
Date: 06/2026
view details
Rural–Urban Differences in Use of Mental Health Care for Serious Mental Illness at the Veterans Health Administration: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis
Examines how use of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mental health care varies among rural and urban veterans with serious mental illness (SMI), using FY 2018-2022 VHA administrative data. Includes data on rural and urban SMI prevalence, services used, and other demographic and clinical factors influencing service use.
Author(s): Alexandra B. Caloudas, Amber B. Amspoker, Ashley Smith, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(2), e70173
Date: 06/2026
view details
Changes in Neighborhood Foodscapes From 2003 to 2023 by Area Rurality in the United States
Examines neighborhood-level characteristics of U.S. foodscapes. Utilizes 2003-2023 licensed food retailer data to analyze healthfulness of available food, food deserts, and food swamps, with data broken down by state and rurality.
Author(s): Daniel Wiese, Marissa M. Shams-White, Zhiyuan Zheng, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 116
Date: 06/2026
view details