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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions

Reimagining Rural: Shifting Paradigms About Health and Well-Being in the Rural United States
Discusses ways to address health needs in rural areas with a focus on shifting away from the deficit narrative of rural places. Explores definitions of rural, the intersectionality of rural citizens, and how to conduct participatory community research to promote partnerships and health access in rural communities.
Author(s): R.A. Afifi, E.A. Parker, G. Dino, D.M. Hall, B. Ulin
Citation: Annual Review of Public Health, 43, 135-154
Date: 04/2022
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Urban Area Criteria for the 2020 Census-Final Criteria
Outlines the final criteria for defining urban areas based on the 2020 decennial census. Adopts a housing unit density threshold of 385 housing units per square mile as the primary criterion for determining whether a census block qualifies for inclusion in an urban area and that an area will qualify as urban if it contains at least 2,000 housing units or has a population of at least 5,000. Explains that the Census Bureau will no longer differentiate urbanized areas from smaller urban areas.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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North Dakota Behavioral Health Epidemiological Profile
Reports on the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use on the lives and families of North Dakotans and the economy of the state. Discusses the rural culture of substance abuse throughout.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
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Colorado: County Designations, 2022
Map of Colorado identifying counties based on urban, rural, or frontier designation.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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Defining Rural Rhode Island
Detailed definition of rural areas in Rhode Island, developed by the Rhode Island Office of Primary Care and Rural Health for the purposes of identifying areas that are potentially at risk for health disparities and limits on access to healthcare. Includes a list of Rhode Island cities and towns, with their population and population density as of 2020.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Rhode Island Department of Health
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Population Denominator Data Sources and Data for Use with HCUP Databases (Updated with 2021 Population Data)
Identifies sources of population data that can be used with Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) databases to calculate rates of hospital care events per population. Includes rural-urban population data sources. Appendix A, Tables A.6 and A.7 provide U.S. population figures from 2000 through 2021 for a 4-category urban-rural definition and a 6-category urban-rural definition.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Defining "Rural" for the Study on Human Services Programs in Rural Contexts
Report describing the impacts of rural definitions on research design and methods for a study of human services delivery in rural areas. Addresses U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, rural regions, and the limitations of certain definitions.
Author(s): Dallas Elgin, James Murdoch, Corianne Payton Scally, Heather Hahn
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Urban Institute
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Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Designated Rural Health Areas in Oklahoma, 2021
County-level map of rural health areas in Oklahoma as designated by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health
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List of Rural Counties and Designated Eligible Census Tracts in Metropolitan Counties
Identifies areas with geographic eligibility for Federal Office of Rural Health Policy grant programs. Lists rural counties, rural census tracts within metropolitan counties, and outlying metropolitan counties without an Urbanized Area.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Comments on Proposed Criteria for Defining Urban Areas
Comment letter responding to the U.S. Census Bureau on proposed changes to criteria used to define urban areas. Discusses how the proposed changes could impact the delivery of healthcare services in rural communities, including potential implications on the certification of Rural Health Clinics.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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