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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Association of Injury-Related Mortality with Unique Domains of Social Determinants of Health Across the Urban-Rural Continuum
Examines whether social determinants of health associated with injury-related mortality vary by geography, utilizing 2000-2017 Pennsylvania Trauma Study Outcomes data. Compares rural and urban populations, with further data breakdowns by race, place of birth, income, and other demographic factors.
Author(s): Tamara Byrd, Nicholas Kass, Liling Lu, et al.
Citation: Surgery, 187, 109607
Date: 11/2025
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Cardiovascular Disease Burden in Arizona - 2022
Reports on cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity, mortality, and characteristics in Arizona, utilizing 2022 Arizona Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Includes demographic data breakdowns, including rural versus urban comparisons.
Author(s): Amanda Swanson
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Time to Build: How Do We Develop More (Affordable) Housing in Rural America?
Provides discussion on housing policy, statistics on rural housing supply, and potential solutions to provide more rural housing options, such as utilizing public lands, manufactured homes, and more. Includes county-level data on housing unit changes and metro versus nonmetro trends in new single family homes.
Additional links: Housing Unit Change, 2013-2023 Infographic
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Traffic Safety Facts, 2023 Data: Summary of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes
Contains information on fatal and non-fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural areas and a state-level map showing fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, as of 2023.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Urban-Rural Disparities in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis of Primary Bone Cancer: An Observational Study
Examines associations between rural or urban residence and primary bone cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, utilizing NCI SEER data of patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. Provides data on rural-urban differences in overall survival, cancer-specific survival, receipt of treatment methods including local surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, and stage at diagnosis.
Author(s): Chenbo Ouyang, Xuanwen Liu, Chunyu Chen, Changping Chen
Citation: Medicine, 104(43), e45548
Date: 10/2025
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Trends in Pancreatic Cancer Mortality among US Adults, 1999–2023
Analyzes trends in pancreatic cancer mortality by demographic group, utilizing 1999-2023 CDC WONDER data. Includes data comparisons between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, among other factors.
Author(s): Tianxing Wu, Zhongliu Bian, Nan Qin, Jingtao Chen
Citation: BMC Gastroenterology, 25, 768
Date: 10/2025
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Medicare Advantage Enrollees Have Access to About Half of the Physicians Available to Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries
Explores how provider networks vary across Medicare Advantage plans and when compared to traditional Medicare. Examines the share of physicians available to Medicare Advantage enrollees as a share of physicians available to traditional Medicare beneficiaries by analyzing Medicare Advantage provider directories for 2022. Includes information on the availability of physicians to Medicare Advantage enrollees and traditional Medicare beneficiaries in rural counties.
Author(s): Matthew Rae, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Tricia Neuman, Karen Pollitz
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Greater Physician Supply Associated with Lower Mortality in Rural Counties: A 23-Year County-Level Longitudinal Observational Study
Examines the relationship between increasing the primary care physician supply in rural areas and corresponding mortality rates. Provides data from a study conducted between 1992-2014 and analyzes rural versus urban trends in mortality rates and physician supply. Discusses rural healthcare practitioner workforce needs, rural versus urban healthcare disparities, and access to care.
Author(s): Nasim B. Ferdows, Cyrus Kosar, Orestis Panagiotou, Momotazur Rahman
Citation: INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62
Date: 10/2025
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Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many
Provides information about afterschool programs and their demand, affordability, accessibility, and availability. Discusses benefits of afterschool programs and policy to support them. Includes rural, suburban, and urban comparisons related to program enrollment and perceived benefits.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Afterschool Alliance
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Caregiving in the US 2025: Caring Across States
Offers data on caregivers including demographics, tasks performed, finances and employment, and wellness. Includes rural, suburban, and urban breakdown for caregivers in 32 states.
Additional links: State-Specific Findings
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organizations: AARP, National Alliance for Caregiving
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