By Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo

Racing for 2012

Rural Voter Turnout Drops 18% in 2012

11/29/2012

Voter turnout dropped across the country in the 2012 election, but the decline in rural counties was twice that of the nation as a whole. And most of that decline came from Democratic totals.

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics

Rural Jobless Rate Inches Higher

09/06/2012

There are more than 323,000 more jobs in rural and exurban counties this year than in July 2011.

Health

Rural Women Living Shorter Lives in 622 Counties

08/29/2012

Changes in female life expectancy in rural and exurban counties 1999 to 2009 American women were living 1.7 years longer in 2009 than they were in 1999. But that increase was realized in only a handful of rural and exurban counties.

Health

Males Living Longer Outside Rural

08/21/2012

Male life expectancy increased by 2.1 years between 1999 and 2009 nationally, but that increase was matched in very few rural and exurban counties.

Health

The Lifespan of Rural Women in 2009

07/23/2012

The average age at death for rural and exurban women is lower than the national average in four out of five rural counties.

Health

Life Expectancy for Rural Men

06/28/2012

Male Life expectancy in rural america In most of rural America, men live shorter lives than the national average.

Main Street Economics

Rural Unemployment Heads Downward

12/08/2011

Rural counties have added over 128,000 jobs since October 2010 and the rate in rural America has been dropping since June.

Growth and Development | Health | Main Street Economics

The Geography of Disability

11/30/2011

The Social Security disability system began in 1957 as a way to help people too sick to work. By 2009 there was more than 9.6 million Americans counted as disabled. Rates of disability in rural America are 80 percent higher than in the cities.

Main Street Economics

Impact of Social Security, State by State

11/15/2011

In West Virginia, 24% of the population receives a monthly Social Security check. In the nation's capital, where decisions are made about these kinds of government programs, only 12% of the population receives Social Security benefits.

Main Street Economics

The Rural Counties Most Dependent on Social Security

11/03/2011

Social Security payments aren't spread evenly across the U.S. In Sumter County, Florida, one out of four dollars in local personal income comes from Social Security. In some wealthy western resort counties, it's closer to one dollar out of 50.