Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions
Indicators of Rurality: How Should We Define "Rural" and "Urban" Communities?
Provides an overview of six federal datasets and how each is used to classify urban and rural communities. Offers recommendations for how to use each indicator of rurality.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Institute for People Place and Possibility
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Provides an overview of six federal datasets and how each is used to classify urban and rural communities. Offers recommendations for how to use each indicator of rurality.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Institute for People Place and Possibility
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Comment on Recommendations from the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee to Changes in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Standards
Offers comments in response to the Office of Management and Budget's proposed changes to the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area standards. Discusses potential unintended consequences of the proposed changes and the broader implications of the definition of metropolitan on research and policy development.
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Offers comments in response to the Office of Management and Budget's proposed changes to the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area standards. Discusses potential unintended consequences of the proposed changes and the broader implications of the definition of metropolitan on research and policy development.
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Redefining Rural: Towards a Better Understanding of Geography, Demography, and Economy in America's Rural Places
Offers a hybrid definition of rurality based on metro and non-metro definitions from the Office of Management and Budget, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, and considers outlying communities in metro and micropolitan counties as rural. Compares rural and non-rural poverty rates, economic well-being, population changes, and other characteristics to represent counties in economic distress.
Author(s): Kennedy O'Dell
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organization: Economic Innovation Group
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Offers a hybrid definition of rurality based on metro and non-metro definitions from the Office of Management and Budget, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, and considers outlying communities in metro and micropolitan counties as rural. Compares rural and non-rural poverty rates, economic well-being, population changes, and other characteristics to represent counties in economic distress.
Author(s): Kennedy O'Dell
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organization: Economic Innovation Group
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Determining Rural Communities: Current Changes and Updated Federal Program Eligibility
Presentation slides from a March 11, 2021, webinar discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Provides an overview of revisions to the eligibility for grant programs administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), as well as a proposal from the U.S. Census Bureau to reclassify certain counties as rural. Describes implications for FORHP funding programs.
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Presentation slides from a March 11, 2021, webinar discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Provides an overview of revisions to the eligibility for grant programs administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), as well as a proposal from the U.S. Census Bureau to reclassify certain counties as rural. Describes implications for FORHP funding programs.
Date: 03/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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County Reclassifications and Rural–Urban Mortality Disparities in the United States (1970–2018)
Examines urban and rural mortality disparities since 1970, comparing baseline changes to mortality rates by decade of reclassificiation of rural and urban counties based on CDC WONDER data. Describes the impact of reclassification on disparities and the importance of rural and urban classification in policy interventions.
Author(s): Matthew M. Brooks, J. Tom Mueller, Brian C. Thiede
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(12): 1814-1816
Date: 12/2020
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Examines urban and rural mortality disparities since 1970, comparing baseline changes to mortality rates by decade of reclassificiation of rural and urban counties based on CDC WONDER data. Describes the impact of reclassification on disparities and the importance of rural and urban classification in policy interventions.
Author(s): Matthew M. Brooks, J. Tom Mueller, Brian C. Thiede
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(12): 1814-1816
Date: 12/2020
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Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know
An overview of what data users need to know about working with American Community Survey (ACS) data for rural areas. Addresses how rural is defined, the use of 5-year estimates, strategies to produce reliable estimates for rural communities, where to access rural ACS estimates, and case studies of rural data use.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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An overview of what data users need to know about working with American Community Survey (ACS) data for rural areas. Addresses how rural is defined, the use of 5-year estimates, strategies to produce reliable estimates for rural communities, where to access rural ACS estimates, and case studies of rural data use.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Is Rural America Failing or Succeeding? Maybe Both
Policy brief examining Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reclassification of rural counties as metropolitan due to population growth. Provides visual data on counties that transitioned from nonmetropolitan to metropolitan since 1970, including a U.S. map representing reclassified counties. Discusses the implications of reclassification for economic policy and interpretations of rural demographics.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson and Daniel T. Lichter
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Policy brief examining Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reclassification of rural counties as metropolitan due to population growth. Provides visual data on counties that transitioned from nonmetropolitan to metropolitan since 1970, including a U.S. map representing reclassified counties. Discusses the implications of reclassification for economic policy and interpretations of rural demographics.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson and Daniel T. Lichter
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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What is Rural?
Provides an overview of the different ways the federal government describes areas as rural. Discusses confusion that can arise from multiple definitions of rural areas. Compares how different urban-rural designations classify each county in South Carolina.
Author(s): Samantha Renaud, Kevin Bennett
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Provides an overview of the different ways the federal government describes areas as rural. Discusses confusion that can arise from multiple definitions of rural areas. Compares how different urban-rural designations classify each county in South Carolina.
Author(s): Samantha Renaud, Kevin Bennett
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare
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Details on HHS' Distribution of Emergency Funds to Hospitals with High COVID-19 Admissions and Rural Providers
An overview of the methodologies the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used to distribute COVID-19-related funding to hospitals with high numbers of COVID-19 admissions, rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and health centers. Includes a comparison of the terms and conditions of the different CARES Act funding programs.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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An overview of the methodologies the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used to distribute COVID-19-related funding to hospitals with high numbers of COVID-19 admissions, rural hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and health centers. Includes a comparison of the terms and conditions of the different CARES Act funding programs.
Date: 05/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Rates of Living Alone by Rurality and Age
Identifies the percentage rates of adults living alone and within specific age groups using two classifications of rurality: the U.S. Census Bureau definition for rural and urban, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definition for metropolitan/non-metropolitan county.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Jonathan Schroeder, Mariana S Tuttle
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Identifies the percentage rates of adults living alone and within specific age groups using two classifications of rurality: the U.S. Census Bureau definition for rural and urban, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definition for metropolitan/non-metropolitan county.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Jonathan Schroeder, Mariana S Tuttle
Date: 04/2020
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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