Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions
SC Rural Healthcare Resource Dashboard
Dashboard providing a summary table and interactive maps of public health data for South Carolina by county and zip code. Covers topics including provider distribution, health facilities, demographics, diseases and chronic conditions, health behaviors, healthcare utilization patterns, rural definitions, primary care provider need, obstetric service need, and more.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Dashboard providing a summary table and interactive maps of public health data for South Carolina by county and zip code. Covers topics including provider distribution, health facilities, demographics, diseases and chronic conditions, health behaviors, healthcare utilization patterns, rural definitions, primary care provider need, obstetric service need, and more.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Area and Road Ruggedness Scales
Provides measures of topographic variation for 2010 census tracts, showing the ruggedness of terrain and roads. Identifies rurality and primary Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) code of each census tract along with ruggedness data. Also provides documentation, descriptions of each scale, and national maps.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Provides measures of topographic variation for 2010 census tracts, showing the ruggedness of terrain and roads. Identifies rurality and primary Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) code of each census tract along with ruggedness data. Also provides documentation, descriptions of each scale, and national maps.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Louisiana
Provides information and definitions on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), as well as related HPSA opportunities and healthcare facilities. Includes county-level maps of primary care, dental, and mental HPSAs in Louisiana.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Provides information and definitions on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs), as well as related HPSA opportunities and healthcare facilities. Includes county-level maps of primary care, dental, and mental HPSAs in Louisiana.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Defining Rural for Wisconsin
Explains rural classification systems of Wisconsin counties. Includes maps that define or illuminate rural areas via rural-urban continuum codes, index of relative rurality, rural population by Census tract, rural-urban commuting areas, housing density, location of Wisconsin hospitals, and drive time to emergency care.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
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Explains rural classification systems of Wisconsin counties. Includes maps that define or illuminate rural areas via rural-urban continuum codes, index of relative rurality, rural population by Census tract, rural-urban commuting areas, housing density, location of Wisconsin hospitals, and drive time to emergency care.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
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USAC Rurality Tier Search Tool
Allows users to determine the applicable rural tier for a specific site location to calculate the rural rate for telecommunications support through the RHC Telecom Program. Tiers include extremely rural, rural, less rural, and non-rural. Tool provides general information; rurality tiers are formally assigned through the review and approval of FCC forms.
Additional links: How to: Use the Rurality Tier Search Tool
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Universal Service Administrative Company
Allows users to determine the applicable rural tier for a specific site location to calculate the rural rate for telecommunications support through the RHC Telecom Program. Tiers include extremely rural, rural, less rural, and non-rural. Tool provides general information; rurality tiers are formally assigned through the review and approval of FCC forms.
Additional links: How to: Use the Rurality Tier Search Tool
Type: Tool
Sponsoring organization: Universal Service Administrative Company
Related funding:
Rural Health Care Telecommunications (Telecom) Program
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Data for Rural Analysis
A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Visualizing Rural Opportunities: Research, Mapping, and Data Analytics
Mapping and data analysis focused on rural communities. Includes a gallery of maps addressing various issues, including maps focused on rural technology, rural opportunity metrics, and the digital economy.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Rural Innovation, Rural Innovation Strategies
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Mapping and data analysis focused on rural communities. Includes a gallery of maps addressing various issues, including maps focused on rural technology, rural opportunity metrics, and the digital economy.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organizations: Center on Rural Innovation, Rural Innovation Strategies
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Delineating Rural Areas in the United States
A poster presentation identifying the common federal rural definitions useful for addressing rural-urban disparities. Demonstrates, by using population characteristics including poverty, uninsured, and disabled data, how each rural definition can affect the sensitivity of the disparity.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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A poster presentation identifying the common federal rural definitions useful for addressing rural-urban disparities. Demonstrates, by using population characteristics including poverty, uninsured, and disabled data, how each rural definition can affect the sensitivity of the disparity.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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What Is a Rural Hospital?
Explains the different definitions of rural and how they impact the number of hospitals in Texas considered rural.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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Explains the different definitions of rural and how they impact the number of hospitals in Texas considered rural.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
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Urban Influence Codes: Documentation
Explains the 9 categories of rural/urban classification included in the 2024 Urban Influence Codes from the Economic Research Service, which are used to categorize counties and county equivalents in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Includes a table showing population estimates and the number of counties in each category using 2020 Census data.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Explains the 9 categories of rural/urban classification included in the 2024 Urban Influence Codes from the Economic Research Service, which are used to categorize counties and county equivalents in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Includes a table showing population estimates and the number of counties in each category using 2020 Census data.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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