Rural Economy

The annual reference document from the USDA Economic Research Service shows that there’s no such thing as a single rural America. Economic trends vary greatly depending on several geographic and social factors.

Small towns have more to offer than cheap land and tax abatements. Building a development plan based on holistic community needs can be a recipe for economic and social success.

A nonprofit school of luthiery in Eastern Kentucky is helping develop an instrument-building company that will build the local economy along with high-end guitars.

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…