Social Determinants of Health for Rural People – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Social Determinants of Health for Rural People.
Poverty in the United States: 2025
Reports on poverty rates for 2024 and 2025, including changes in the official poverty measure rate and changes in the Supplemental Poverty Measure rate. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Additional links: Table 1: Official Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 4: Supplemental Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 7: Comparison of Official and Supplemental Poverty Measures (Excel)
Author(s): Christina Bijou, Emily A. Shrider
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Reports on poverty rates for 2024 and 2025, including changes in the official poverty measure rate and changes in the Supplemental Poverty Measure rate. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Additional links: Table 1: Official Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 4: Supplemental Poverty Measure (Excel), Table 7: Comparison of Official and Supplemental Poverty Measures (Excel)
Author(s): Christina Bijou, Emily A. Shrider
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Income in the United States: 2025
Reports on pre-tax money income and post-tax income levels for 2024 and 2025, along with the percent change from 2024 to 2025. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Additional links: Table 1: Income Summary (Excel), Table 3: Post-Tax Household Income Summary (Excel), Table 4: Money Income and Post-Tax Income (Excel)
Author(s): Melissa Kollar, Zach Scherer
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Reports on pre-tax money income and post-tax income levels for 2024 and 2025, along with the percent change from 2024 to 2025. Separate tables include statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2026 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Additional links: Table 1: Income Summary (Excel), Table 3: Post-Tax Household Income Summary (Excel), Table 4: Money Income and Post-Tax Income (Excel)
Author(s): Melissa Kollar, Zach Scherer
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. 2026
Reports on maternal healthcare access and provides data on maternity care deserts, distribution of OB providers, and travel time to maternity care, including color-coded, county-level maps. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of maternal health workforce availability, travel distance to care, and labor and delivery unit closures, and discusses efforts to address rural shortages, including the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Reports on maternal healthcare access and provides data on maternity care deserts, distribution of OB providers, and travel time to maternity care, including color-coded, county-level maps. Includes rural versus urban data comparisons of maternal health workforce availability, travel distance to care, and labor and delivery unit closures, and discusses efforts to address rural shortages, including the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
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Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: 2024
Highlights from the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provides single-year median household income and poverty statistics. Includes county-level maps showing income and poverty rates in 2024 and changes from 2023 to 2024 for the total population and children.
Additional links: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: 2024 Report
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Highlights from the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provides single-year median household income and poverty statistics. Includes county-level maps showing income and poverty rates in 2024 and changes from 2023 to 2024 for the total population and children.
Additional links: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: 2024 Report
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Unequal Paths to Care: How Region, Rurality, and Deprivation Determine Transport to Verified Trauma Centers among the Critically Injured
Examines the relationship among rurality, area deprivation index (ADI), and trauma center transport of critically injured patients. Utilizes 2018-2022 National Emergency Medical Services Information System data from 36,897,269 critically injured patients and analyzes rural versus urban transport to a trauma center, region of the country, and ADI.
Author(s): Amani Sampson, Edward Helderop, Tokoya Williams, et al.
Citation: Surgery, 196, 110232
Date: 08/2026
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Examines the relationship among rurality, area deprivation index (ADI), and trauma center transport of critically injured patients. Utilizes 2018-2022 National Emergency Medical Services Information System data from 36,897,269 critically injured patients and analyzes rural versus urban transport to a trauma center, region of the country, and ADI.
Author(s): Amani Sampson, Edward Helderop, Tokoya Williams, et al.
Citation: Surgery, 196, 110232
Date: 08/2026
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Young Adult Urbanicity, Late Midlife Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Cognitive Functioning in Community-Dwelling Older Men
Examines the impact of geography and neighborhood socioeconomics on cognitive function in older men. Analyzes data of cognitive performance from 881 community-dwelling men with additional breakdowns according to demographic variables, rural versus urban location, and area disadvantage index (ADI).
Author(s): Rongxiang Tang, Asad Beck, Daniel E Gustavson, et al.
Citation: The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 81(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Examines the impact of geography and neighborhood socioeconomics on cognitive function in older men. Analyzes data of cognitive performance from 881 community-dwelling men with additional breakdowns according to demographic variables, rural versus urban location, and area disadvantage index (ADI).
Author(s): Rongxiang Tang, Asad Beck, Daniel E Gustavson, et al.
Citation: The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 81(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Prevalence and Correlates of Social Risks and Receipt of Resources Among Rural and Urban Veterans
Examines social risks, needs screenings, and resource referrals for veterans. Utilizes 2024-2025 Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs (ACORN) data from 92,017 veterans to examine social risks and follow-up referrals in rural versus urban veterans.
Author(s): Lauren E. Russell, Sarah M. Leder, Jenny K. Cohen, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70186
Date: 07/2026
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Examines social risks, needs screenings, and resource referrals for veterans. Utilizes 2024-2025 Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs (ACORN) data from 92,017 veterans to examine social risks and follow-up referrals in rural versus urban veterans.
Author(s): Lauren E. Russell, Sarah M. Leder, Jenny K. Cohen, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70186
Date: 07/2026
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Survivability in Patients with Rare Sigmoid Colon Adenocarcinoma Variants: Exploring the Influence of Rural–Urban Continuum Codes and Social Determinants of Health in the USA
Examines survival rates of patients with rare sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma across geographic and income variables. Utilizes SEER data from 93,020 patients and includes rural versus urban breakdowns according to demographics, cancer characteristics, mortality, and median household income. Discusses impacts of rurality and socioeconomics on survivability.
Author(s): Md Roungu Ahmmad, Fazlay Faruque, Rodney Rocconi, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 37, 123
Date: 07/2026
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Examines survival rates of patients with rare sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma across geographic and income variables. Utilizes SEER data from 93,020 patients and includes rural versus urban breakdowns according to demographics, cancer characteristics, mortality, and median household income. Discusses impacts of rurality and socioeconomics on survivability.
Author(s): Md Roungu Ahmmad, Fazlay Faruque, Rodney Rocconi, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 37, 123
Date: 07/2026
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County Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2027
Shows levels of economic distress in Appalachian counties based on unemployment rates, income, and poverty levels. Includes interactive map, downloadable maps and data files, and data report.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Shows levels of economic distress in Appalachian counties based on unemployment rates, income, and poverty levels. Includes interactive map, downloadable maps and data files, and data report.
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Rural Water Infrastructure: Better Agency Coordination Could Help Unserved Communities Address Their Needs
Discusses issues related to rural water infrastructure, including what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) know about rural communities not served by drinking water or wastewater utilities. Describes USDA and EPA programs that can provide financial and technical assistance to rural communities for water infrastructure, how the agencies prioritize these communities, and challenges rural unserved communities face in accessing financial and technical assistance from USDA and EPA. Offers recommendations to USDA and EPA regarding increasing access to water infrastructure funding and technical assistance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Discusses issues related to rural water infrastructure, including what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) know about rural communities not served by drinking water or wastewater utilities. Describes USDA and EPA programs that can provide financial and technical assistance to rural communities for water infrastructure, how the agencies prioritize these communities, and challenges rural unserved communities face in accessing financial and technical assistance from USDA and EPA. Offers recommendations to USDA and EPA regarding increasing access to water infrastructure funding and technical assistance.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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