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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Economics and the economy

Making Connections Rural Health Series
Describes multiple components influencing rural health, including: access to care, the built and natural environment, education, health insurance, technology, rural economics, and system perspectives. Supplements the Understanding the Rural Landscape Learning Module. Focuses on addressing challenges rural communities faces with innovative solutions.
Additional links: Download Zip File
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Analysis of Cost-of-Living Data for Pennsylvania Counties
Features a report on the cost-of-living in Pennsylvania by county. Looks at costs of utilities, transportation, and healthcare, among others, while identifying whether or not counties are rural.
Author(s): Kenneth K.T. Louie, James A. Kurre
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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The Geographic Variation in the Cost of the Opioid Crisis
Presents a study on the economic costs of the opioid crisis across the nation. Features state-by-state and county-level data on the monetary burden of opioid abuse on communities.
Author(s): Alex Brill, Scott Ganz
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Enterprise Institute
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Integrating Economic Resilience in Performance-based Transportation Planning
Details a report on community transportation planning based on economic performance. Discusses measures to factor in the demands of local economies and community wealth creation into transportation planning. Features several rural examples.
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Golden Rules: Evaluating Retiree-Based Economic Development in Georgia
Analysis of demographic and economic trends in Georgia targeting recruitment of retirees to rural areas. Offers recommendations for retiree-based economic development, identifies 15 counties with high retiree attraction values, and describes the economic impacts of retirees.
Author(s): Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Beata D. Kochut
Citation: Economic Development Journal, 17(2), 53-58
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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The Appalachia Initiative: A Bipartisan Approach for the 21st Century
Reports on the current challenges facing Appalachia. Breaks down data by education and workforce, entrepreneurism and job creation, energy and infrastructure, and rural health. Looks specifically at mortality rates, obesity and diabetes prevalence, and drug overdose death rates.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Greater Minnesota: Refined & Revisited
Provides information on the composition of Minnesota's geography by urban, large town, small town, and rural based on population and proximity to other communities. Examines economics, demographics, and general well-being of the different population areas with explanation of how they are defined. Includes county-level maps breaking down demographic variables by population size as well as data tables that show population changes by county.
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota State Demographic Center
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Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Impacts
Highlights programs in 6 rural counties to improve the health and well-being of children and families supported by the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative. Programs included the expansion of the early childhood care and education program, promotion of physical activity through the development of walking and biking routes, and improved accessibility to local foods and support for the local economy.
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Luther College, Northeast Iowa Community College
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Involuntary Part-Time Employment: A Slow and Uneven Economic Recovery
Examines trends in involuntary part-time employment from 2000 through 2015. Includes data for rural men and rural women, compared to the overall population. Also compares rural and urban involuntary part-time work for those below the poverty line before, during, and after the recession.
Author(s): Rebecca Glauber
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Using the ERS County Economic Types To Explore Demographic and Economic Trends in Rural Areas
Discusses six types of counties based on economic industry dependence: farming, mining, manufacturing, federal/state government, recreation, and nonspecialized counties. Describes how these county types can be used to better understand variation in demographic and economic trends in rural areas. Uses the county economic types to examine population, income, and poverty trends.
Author(s): Lorin Kusmin
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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