Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Statistics and data

Defining Rural at the U.S. Census Bureau
An overview of how the Census Bureau has defined rural in the past, the current way urban/rural areas are identified by the Census, and the relationship between decennial censuses, the American Community Survey (ACS), and geography.
Author(s): Michael Ratcliffe, Charlynn Burd, Kelly Holder, Alison Fields
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
Trends in Emergency Department Visits Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2006-2013
Reports on emergency department visits involving three categories of behavioral health disorders: substance use disorders; depression, anxiety or stress reactions; and psychoses or bipolar disorders. Figure 4 and Table 4 provide data on each type of visit based on the location of patient residence for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore (rural) areas.
Author(s): Audrey J. Weiss, Marguerite L. Barrett, Kevin C. Heslin, Carol Stocks
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
The Impact of State Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage at the County Level
Compares health insurance coverage in 2013, prior to the Affordable Care Act, and in 2015. Includes data on health insurance coverage for metropolitan and nonmetro counties. Discusses the impact of Medicaid expansion on health insurance coverage.
Author(s): Danielle C. Rhubart
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
view details
Using the ERS County Economic Types To Explore Demographic and Economic Trends in Rural Areas
Discusses six types of counties based on economic industry dependence: farming, mining, manufacturing, federal/state government, recreation, and nonspecialized counties. Describes how these county types can be used to better understand variation in demographic and economic trends in rural areas. Uses the county economic types to examine population, income, and poverty trends.
Author(s): Lorin Kusmin
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Improving Community Health through Hospital Community Benefit Spending: Charting a Path to Reform
Provides background on the origin and importance of nonprofit hospital community benefit spending, and explains the difference between community building and community benefit activities. Examines policy options that the IRS could use to enhance community benefit spending focused on improving social determinants of health community-wide. Includes rural-specific statistics and multiple comparisons of items identified in community health needs assessments (CHNAs).
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, Maureen Byrnes, Sara Rothenberg, Rachel Gunsalus
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health
view details
Vital Signs: Trends in HIV Diagnoses, Risk Behaviors, and Prevention Among Persons Who Inject Drugs — United States
Reports on trends in HIV diagnoses among people who inject drugs. Figure 1 shows data for urban and rural White, African American, and Hispanic people from 2008-2014.
Author(s): Cyprian Wejnert, Kristen L. Hess, H. Irene Hall, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 65(47), 1336-1342
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Domestic Violence Enhanced Perinatal Home Visits: The DOVE Randomized Clinical Trial
Examines results from the Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program (DOVE) intervention to determine its effectiveness in reducing perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women in home visiting programs. Includes participants' demographic information, and compares urban and rural locations on study enrollment across time.
Author(s): Phyllis Sharps, Linda Bullock, Jacquelyn Campbell, et al.
Citation: Journal of Women's Health, 25(11), 1129-1138
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
view details
Outcomes of a Clinic-Based Educational Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention by Race, Ethnicity, and Urban/Rural Status
Examines knowledge and awareness about cardiovascular disease issues and the impact of a clinic-based education intervention using pre- and post-surveys of women in Northern California. Addresses differences by race/ethnicity and rural/urban status. Discusses the implications of the research findings for education outreach efforts.
Author(s): Amparo C. Villablanca, Christina Slee, Liana Lianov, Daniel Tancredi
Citation: Journal of Women's Health, 25(11), 1174-1186
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
view details
Rural Health Networks and Care Coordination: Health Care Innovation in Frontier Communities to Improve Patient Outcomes and Reduce Health Care Costs
Discusses the findings of a single-case, community-based participatory design study in a frontier community in northern Minnesota to determine the effectiveness of developing a community care team focused on collaboration and care coordination to improve patient outcomes and reduce emergency room use.
Author(s): Pat Conway, Heidi Favet, Laurie Hall, Jenny Uhrich, Jeanette Palcher, et al.
Citation: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(4A), 91–115
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
view details
Kentucky's Primary Care Workforce Shortages 2016-2025 and Recommendations for Increasing the Production of Primary Care Physicians for Kentucky
Presents data and information about the Kentucky primary care workforce, describes trainee pipelines supplying new physicians, and recommends strategies and tactics for improving this workforce. Includes statistics on various types of primary care providers in rural Kentucky, and support for the idea that rural background and rural clinical rotations are factors in primary care career choices by medical school graduates.
Author(s): Kevin A. Pearce, Carol Hustedde, Linda M. Asher, et al.
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
view details