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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Virginia's Audiologist Workforce: 2025
An overview of the audiologist workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Audiologist Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of audiologists in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Persistent Poverty and Late-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis in the United States: Impacts of Rural Residence, Race, and Time Within Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Registries, 2004 to 2021
Examines associations between late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and persistent poverty by rurality, race, and year. Utilizes 2017-2021 SEER Program data.
Author(s): Heather R. Sherr, Amr S. Soliman, Kimberly A. Bertrand, Kelly A. Hirko
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 36, 1589-1597
Date: 08/2025
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Workforce Impact of Emergency Department Boarding
Surveys 195 emergency department (ED) physicians about the impact of ED boarding on clinician wellness, burnout, moral injury, and workplace violence. Discusses policy ideas to alleviate challenges. Includes an urban, suburban, and rural breakdown of survey respondents.
Author(s): Vicki Norton, Kraftin E. Schreyer, Diane Kuhn
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
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Urban–Rural Disparities in Lung Cancer Incidence and Mortality Patterns in Black and White Populations
Examines lung cancer incidence and mortality across rural and urban populations. Utilizes National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data to analyzes rural versus urban disparities in lung cancer, with further breakdowns according to demographic variables.
Author(s): Nadia Howlader, Kathleen A. Cronin, Mandi Yu, Daniel Miller, Douglas R. Lowy
Citation: Cancer: An International Interdisciplinary Journal of the American Cancer Society, 131(15)
Date: 08/2025
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A Twenty-Year Review: Revisiting the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Funding Needs and Gaps in the Appalachian Region
Provides county, state, and metro versus nonmetro data on water and wastewater infrastructure in the Appalachian region. Discusses funding and collaborative possibilities to improve critical infrastructure in Appalachian communities.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi, Christy M. Ihlo, Leigh Anne Krometis, Kara Millonzi
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Tobacco Retailer Density and Rurality Across Four US States: California, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Ohio
Presents a study on the tobacco retailer density of rural areas. Compares density rates of rural tracts with metropolitan, micropolitan, and small towns. Draws examples from California, Ohio, Connecticut, and North Carolina.
Author(s): Emerson Webb, Peter F. Craigmile, Meghan E. Morean, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70073
Date: 08/2025
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Virginia's Licensed Clinical Social Worker Workforce: 2025
An overview of the licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Licensed Clinical Social Worker Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of LCSWs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Virginia's Licensed Master's Social Worker Survey: 2025
An overview of the licensed master's social worker (LMSW) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Licensed Master's Social Worker Survey. Features statistics including the number of LMSWs in metro, urban, and rural areas of Virginia.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
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Montana Rural Primary Care Workforce
Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in Montana in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Route and Efficiency Analysis of Cancer Health Care (REACH): Investigating Sociodemographic and Rurality of Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients at an NCI-Designated Facility
Explores the association between rurality and access to care for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Examines travel distance and time to treatment, as well as sociodemographic factors among patients with MBC. Draws data from rural and urban counties in Illinois and Missouri.
Author(s): Amanda Golden, Sarah Humble, Rachelle Roy, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(3), e70063
Date: 08/2025
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