Main Street Economics

A pair of rural development specialists say they want to hear what your small community needs to thrive. The informal Survey of Rural Challenges is open through July 30.

As flood debris festers in the spring sunshine, Congress and the state of Missouri can’t make up their minds whether to help – or even if there is a disaster. Meanwhile, the only thing getting repaired are the railroads.

A national newspaper column urges us to “get real about rural America.” OK, here is what rural communities need: transition, planning, and investment.

Humphreys County, Mississippi, has the highest rate of federal income-tax audits of any county in the U.S. In a baffling twist of logic, that's because it's also one of the poorest counties in the country.

“Explore Elkin” takes small individual investments and parlays them into bigger returns for the old mill town of Elkin, North Carolina. Instead of a pop and a fizzle, the program has created a slow burn of special events, marketing, and…

A rural nonprofit development corporation’s need to serve its widely disbursed client base has led to the launch of a national online portal that provides technical assistance to borrowers who are starting or expanding businesses.

Rural America’s slow recovery from the Great Recession isn’t entirely bad news, says the founder of the Rural Opportunity Initiative. For smart public and private investors, it could provide a chance to get ahead of the pack.

Major urban areas generate more money and inventions. Rural areas are objectively better at producing people with a greater chance of future success. That’s what the “move-them-to-the-cities” argument fails to consider.