By Bill Bishop

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics

Rural Unemployment Falls, but Jobs Decline

05/08/2013

Rural unemployment is down a bit from last year. But a majority of rural counties actually have fewer jobs now than they did in March 2012. The losses are worst in the nation’s most rural counties.

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics

Rural Unemployment Surpasses Urban Rate

04/15/2013

For much of last year, rural areas had better unemployment numbers than metro America. Now, the tables have turned and a greater percentage of rural residents find themselves out of work.

Growth and Development

Domestic Comers and Goers, 2010-12

03/25/2013

Two-thirds of all rural and exurban counties lost population due to domestic migration. Counties near fast-growing cities, in popular retirement areas and in oil and gas development areas saw an increase of people due to domestic migration.

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics

Deaths and Births in Rural Counties

03/19/2013

Nearly half of all rural counties had more deaths than births in the 12 months ending July 1, 2012. The number of births in the U.S. has declined during the recession — and the population is aging.

Rural Unemployment, State By State

02/06/2013

Drops in rural and exurban unemployment rates had been going down in 2012, but by December, those declines had stalled. Highest rural unemployment is in California.

BioFuels and Energy

So Big You Can See It From Space

01/25/2013

The shale gas revolution is huge. How big is it? Well, you can see it from space.

Main Street Economics

Rural and Exurban Household Income, 2011

01/22/2013

rural family income in 2011 Only 15 percent of rural and exurban counties had median family incomes that were at or above the national median of $50,502 in 2011.

Main Street Economics

Big Changes in Rural/Exurban Poverty Rates

01/11/2013

In rural America, few places are average. Here are the counties that had the largest increases and decreases in poverty rates from 2007 to 2011.

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics

Rural America's Missing Workers

01/10/2013

rural employment and unemployment 2012 Rural unemployment rates have been trending down for the past several months. But why are a number of counties losing workers?

Environment | Food

Food Writers Who Forget Rural America

01/03/2013

A Montana rancher tells us more in 100 seconds about how to change the nation's food system than a New York Times columnist can in a year's worth of writing.