Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Comparing Utilization of Home Health Care Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status
Policy report describing differences in utilization of home health care between beneficiaries enrolled in Traditional Medicare (TM) and Medicare Advantage (MA), and by rural or urban status. Examines differences in use of home health overall, provision of specific services, including physical and occupational therapy, and receipt of care from home health agencies by enrollment in TM and MA. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural areas.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Fill Patterns of Glucose-Lowering Drugs with Cardiovascular and Kidney Benefits in the Rural and Urban United States, 2012–2021
Analyzes fill rates for GLP1RA and SGLT2i glucose-lowering drugs among people with type 2 diabetes by level of rurality and other demographics, utilizing 2012-2021 OptumLabs Data Warehouse claims data. Discusses how geographic differences in prescribing may influence cardiovascular and kidney disease outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes.
Author(s): Kyle Steiger, Kavya Sindhu Swarna, Jeph Herrin, Rozalina G. McCoy
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 41, 126-133
Date: 08/2025
view details
Income, Healthy Food Availability, and Consumption Mediate Rural–Urban Health Disparities
Discusses rural versus urban health disparities and how healthy food availability and consumption mediate disparities. Utilizes national and state-level survey data from Oregon residents regarding their self-reported income, perceived fruit and vegetable (FV) availability, FV consumption, and health status, analyzing their associated mediating effect on rural health disparities.
Author(s): Benjamin J Smith, A Janet Tomiyama, Deborah H John, Bryan Mantell, Elliot T Berkman
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(6), 939-952
Date: 08/2025
view details
Predictors of Adenotonsillectomy for Publicly Insured Children With Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Analyzes associations between demographic factors and adenotonsillectomy rates among Medicaid-insured children in South Carolina. Provides data on adenotonsillectomy, receipt of polysomnography, and race, ethnicity, and rurality.
Author(s): Phayvanh P. Pecha, Pamela L. Ferguson, Marvella E. Ford, Paul J. Nietert
Citation: The Laryngoscope, 136(2), 1012-1019
Date: 08/2025
view details
Stalled Progress and Emerging Disparities in Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality among U.S. Older Adults (> 65 Years) with Renal Failure, 1999–2023
Examines mortality trends related to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and renal failure in older adults. Analyzes 288,801 AMI-related renal-failure deaths from 1999-2023 according to patient demographics, U.S. region, and metro versus nonmetro location.
Author(s): Bazil Azeem, Yumna Fatima, Iffat Ambreen Magsi, et al.
Citation: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 25, 565
Date: 08/2025
view details
Virginia's Audiologist Workforce: 2025
An overview of the audiologist workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Audiologist Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of audiologists in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
view details
Virginia's Licensed Professional Counselor Workforce: 2025
An overview of the licensed professional counselor (LPC) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Licensed Professional Counselor Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of LPCs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
view details
Virginia's Speech-Language Pathology Workforce: 2025
An overview of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) workforce in Virginia based on data from the 2025 Speech-Language Pathologist Workforce Survey. Features statistics including the number of SLPs in rural Virginia and how many grew up in rural areas.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: Virginia Department of Health Professions
view details
Persistent Poverty and Late-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis in the United States: Impacts of Rural Residence, Race, and Time Within Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Registries, 2004 to 2021
Examines associations between late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and persistent poverty by rurality, race, and year. Utilizes 2017-2021 SEER Program data.
Author(s): Heather R. Sherr, Amr S. Soliman, Kimberly A. Bertrand, Kelly A. Hirko
Citation: Cancer Causes & Control, 36, 1589-1597
Date: 08/2025
view details
Workforce Impact of Emergency Department Boarding
Surveys 195 emergency department (ED) physicians about the impact of ED boarding on clinician wellness, burnout, moral injury, and workplace violence. Discusses policy ideas to alleviate challenges. Includes an urban, suburban, and rural breakdown of survey respondents.
Author(s): Vicki Norton, Kraftin E. Schreyer, Diane Kuhn
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 3(8)
Date: 08/2025
view details