This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Rural–Urban Disparities in Health Access Factors Over Time: Implications for Cancer Prevention and Health Equity in the Midwest
Examines environmental and socioeconomic factors in rural and urban counties to understand differences in cancer burden and healthcare access. Analyzes 123 counties in Kansas and Missouri from 2009 to 2017 for health equity factors such as primary care provider availability, lack of insurance, unemployment, and childhood poverty. Includes rural versus urban cancer mortality rates in Kansas from 2008-2017.
Author(s): Jordan Baker, Hope Krebill, Hanluen Kuo, et al.
Citation: Health Equity, 6(1), 382-389.
Date: 05/2022
view details
Prevalence of Mental Health Services Provided by Public Schools and Limitations in Schools' Efforts to Provide Mental Health Services
Presents information on the availability of mental health assessments, treatment, and funding in U.S. elementary, middle, and secondary schools, based on data from the 2019-2020 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). Includes percentage of schools with mental health resources by student demographic information as well as rural, town, suburban, or city locale.
Additional links: Fast Facts
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics
view details
Association Between Rural Hospital Service Changes and Community Demographics
Investigates possible differences in service availability by local demographics and examines the association between proportion of a rural community belonging to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-identified priority population and local hospital service changes. Features statistics on changes in healthcare service availability in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017, with breakdowns by selected community demographic characteristics. Also includes statistics on changes in availability of 8 types of services in nonmetro hospitals from 2011-2017.
Author(s): Tyler L. Malone, Kathleen Knocke, George H. Pink, et al.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Trends and Variations in Emergency Department Use Associated With Diabetes in the US by Sociodemographic Factors, 2008-2017
Results of a study using data from 32 million emergency department (ED) visits from 2008-2017, examining the rates of diabetes-related ED use across various geographic areas and subgroups. Features statistics including age-adjusted rates of diabetes-specific ED use among U.S. adults, with breakdowns by rural or urban status.
Author(s): Tegveer S. Uppal, Puneet Kaur Chehal, Gail Fernandes, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(5)
Date: 05/2022
view details
Diabetes Prevalence and Monitoring by Urbanization
Poster presentation from the National Rural Health Association 2022 annual conference, examining the prevalence of diabetes and the quality of annual hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) monitoring in a national sample of commercially-insured people. Features demographics and statistics including prevalence of diabetes among enrollees and HbA1c testing in people with diabetes in 2019 and 2020, with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro location.
Author(s): Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Katie Youngen, Ty Borders, Jeffery Talbert
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
view details
Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel: Comparing Rural and Urban Professional Experience and Provision of Evidence-Based Care
Describes the relationship between prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers' levels of experience and provision of evidence-based care for rural and urban populations. Features statistics on EMS agency sample characteristics and evidenced-based care for seizure, stroke, hypoglycemia, and trauma as of 2018, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural locations.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Nikiah G. Nudell, Lisa A. Garberson, C. Holly A. Andrilla
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Community Characteristics and Financial and Operational Performance of Rural Health Clinics in the United States: A Chartbook
Provides an overview of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in the United States, including history of the RHC program, number and distribution of RHCs, operating details, characteristics of demographics served, financial and staffing information, and quality measures. Utilizes data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Cost Reports, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings to provide comprehensive data about RHCs. Includes U.S. maps showing types of RHCs by state; demographic and socioeconomic breakdowns of populations in RHC and non-RHC counties with large rural, medium/small rural, isolated/completely rural, and urban comparisons; costs of RHC services; staffing patterns; and more.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Zachariah Croll, Jamar Croom, Louisa Munk, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Rising Food Insecurity and the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Food Assistance in Michigan
Examines the impacts of the pandemic on emergency food assistance organizations in Michigan. Analyzes 181 organizations and their corresponding directors according to demographics and rural versus urban location. Includes map of the location of emergency food programs as well as data on the characteristics of those programs, such as type of program, how the program receives funding, operating details, and more.
Author(s): Dorceta E. Taylor, Te'yah Wright, Ian Ortiz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 11(3), 27-55
Date: 05/2022
view details
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Rural-Urban Trends in 5-Year Survival of Patients With Lung, Prostate, Breast, and Colorectal Cancers: 1975-2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)
Results of a cross-sectional study of 3,659,417 cancer patients, using an epidemiological assessment of 1975-2011 data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by type of cancer, race or ethnicity, and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Marquita W. Lewis-Thames, Marvin E. Langston, Saira Khan, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(5)
Date: 05/2022
view details
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Losses Hit Rural Areas Still Recovering From Great Recession
Reports on unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2021 by race and rural versus urban designation.
Author(s): Austin Sanders
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details