What is Rural? – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on What is Rural?.
County Reclassifications and Rural–Urban Mortality Disparities in the United States (1970–2018)
Examines urban and rural mortality disparities since 1970, comparing baseline changes to mortality rates by decade of reclassificiation of rural and urban counties based on CDC WONDER data. Describes the impact of reclassification on disparities and the importance of rural and urban classification in policy interventions.
Author(s): Matthew M. Brooks, J. Tom Mueller, Brian C. Thiede
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(12): 1814-1816
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Examines urban and rural mortality disparities since 1970, comparing baseline changes to mortality rates by decade of reclassificiation of rural and urban counties based on CDC WONDER data. Describes the impact of reclassification on disparities and the importance of rural and urban classification in policy interventions.
Author(s): Matthew M. Brooks, J. Tom Mueller, Brian C. Thiede
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(12): 1814-1816
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Is Rural America Failing or Succeeding? Maybe Both
Policy brief examining Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reclassification of rural counties as metropolitan due to population growth. Provides visual data on counties that transitioned from nonmetropolitan to metropolitan since 1970, including a U.S. map representing reclassified counties. Discusses the implications of reclassification for economic policy and interpretations of rural demographics.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson and Daniel T. Lichter
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Policy brief examining Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reclassification of rural counties as metropolitan due to population growth. Provides visual data on counties that transitioned from nonmetropolitan to metropolitan since 1970, including a U.S. map representing reclassified counties. Discusses the implications of reclassification for economic policy and interpretations of rural demographics.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson and Daniel T. Lichter
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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What is Rural?
Provides an overview of the different ways the federal government describes areas as rural. Discusses confusion that can arise from multiple definitions of rural areas. Compares how different urban-rural designations classify each county in South Carolina.
Author(s): Samantha Renaud, Kevin Bennett
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Provides an overview of the different ways the federal government describes areas as rural. Discusses confusion that can arise from multiple definitions of rural areas. Compares how different urban-rural designations classify each county in South Carolina.
Author(s): Samantha Renaud, Kevin Bennett
Date: 08/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Considerations for Defining Rural Places in Health Policies and Programs
Highlights key questions to be considered when evaluating a definition of rural that is most appropriate for a specific policy or program. Discusses the principles needed to drive rural definitions and the current challenges of changing rural definitions. Provides an overview of common rural definitions in use, and offers options for the development of new definitions and adjustments to current definitions.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Andrew F. Coburn, Alana Knudson, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, et al.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Highlights key questions to be considered when evaluating a definition of rural that is most appropriate for a specific policy or program. Discusses the principles needed to drive rural definitions and the current challenges of changing rural definitions. Provides an overview of common rural definitions in use, and offers options for the development of new definitions and adjustments to current definitions.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Andrew F. Coburn, Alana Knudson, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, et al.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Micropolitan America
Infographic showing a variety of charts about micropolitan statistical areas. Includes a map of micropolitan areas. Provides data on the micropolitan population compared to the U.S. population as a whole, covering age and sex, race/ethnicity, population change, industry, and occupation.
Date: 07/2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Infographic showing a variety of charts about micropolitan statistical areas. Includes a map of micropolitan areas. Provides data on the micropolitan population compared to the U.S. population as a whole, covering age and sex, race/ethnicity, population change, industry, and occupation.
Date: 07/2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Defining Rural at the U.S. Census Bureau
An overview of how the Census Bureau has defined rural in the past, the current way urban/rural areas are identified by the Census, and the relationship between decennial censuses, the American Community Survey (ACS), and geography.
Author(s): Michael Ratcliffe, Charlynn Burd, Kelly Holder, Alison Fields
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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An overview of how the Census Bureau has defined rural in the past, the current way urban/rural areas are identified by the Census, and the relationship between decennial censuses, the American Community Survey (ACS), and geography.
Author(s): Michael Ratcliffe, Charlynn Burd, Kelly Holder, Alison Fields
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Rationalizing Rural Area Classifications for the Economic Research Service: A Workshop Summary
Summarizes an April 2015 workshop that explored the data, estimation, and policy issues related to rural classifications currently in use by the Economic Research Service (ERS): Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), Urban Influence Codes (UICs), Rural Urban Community Area (RUCA) codes, and Frontier and Remote (FAR) codes.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on National Statistics
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summarizes an April 2015 workshop that explored the data, estimation, and policy issues related to rural classifications currently in use by the Economic Research Service (ERS): Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), Urban Influence Codes (UICs), Rural Urban Community Area (RUCA) codes, and Frontier and Remote (FAR) codes.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on National Statistics
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs): Office of Management and Budget CBSA Designations by County, 2013
Map of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county for 2013.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Map of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county for 2013.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs): Office of Management and Budget CBSA Designations by County (Puerto Rico included), 2013
Map of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico for 2013.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Map of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico for 2013.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs): Office of Management and Budget CBSA Designations by County, 2013 and 2009
Maps of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county for the years 2013 and 2009.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Maps of the U.S. delineating the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) by county for the years 2013 and 2009.
Date: 2014
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Last Updated: 2/8/2024