Swing states with high unemployment are expected to determine the outcome of 2012's presidential race. Eight swing states have rural unemployment rates higher than the national average.

The rural U.S. gained population between 2010 and 2011, but not much. And most of the nation's rural counties lost people during this time, largely through outmigration.

Two economists find that Walmart, the nation's largest employer, has the power to depress wages in some rural counties, particularly in the Southeast.

Unemployment ticked up in January in rural counties, a consequence of layoffs after the Christmas season. The divide between job-rich and jobless rural counties remains stark.