What is Rural? – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on What is Rural?.
Micropolitan America
Infographic showing a variety of charts about micropolitan statistical areas. Includes a map of micropolitan areas. Provides data on the micropolitan population compared to the U.S. population as a whole, covering age and sex, race/ethnicity, population change, industry, and occupation.
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Infographic showing a variety of charts about micropolitan statistical areas. Includes a map of micropolitan areas. Provides data on the micropolitan population compared to the U.S. population as a whole, covering age and sex, race/ethnicity, population change, industry, and occupation.
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Rationalizing Rural Area Classifications for the Economic Research Service: A Workshop Summary
Summarizes an April 2015 workshop that explored the data, estimation, and policy issues related to rural classifications currently in use by the Economic Research Service (ERS): Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), Urban Influence Codes (UICs), Rural Urban Community Area (RUCA) codes, and Frontier and Remote (FAR) codes.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on National Statistics
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summarizes an April 2015 workshop that explored the data, estimation, and policy issues related to rural classifications currently in use by the Economic Research Service (ERS): Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), Urban Influence Codes (UICs), Rural Urban Community Area (RUCA) codes, and Frontier and Remote (FAR) codes.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on National Statistics
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Choosing Rural Definitions: Implications for Health Policy
Provides an overview of rural definitions and their policy implications. Discusses the factors that should be considered in selecting among rural definitions.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, et al.
Date: 03/2007
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Provides an overview of rural definitions and their policy implications. Discusses the factors that should be considered in selecting among rural definitions.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, et al.
Date: 03/2007
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural America (2010): Exploring Rural America Through the Lens of the 2010 Census Urban Delineation
Provides an overview of the U.S. Census Bureau's approach to defining rural areas for the 2010 Census, discusses the use of Decennial Census and American Community Survey data, and provides maps and data showing the distribution of the U.S. rural population. Explains concepts including urban deliniation, urbanized areas, urban clusters, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Provides an overview of the U.S. Census Bureau's approach to defining rural areas for the 2010 Census, discusses the use of Decennial Census and American Community Survey data, and provides maps and data showing the distribution of the U.S. rural population. Explains concepts including urban deliniation, urbanized areas, urban clusters, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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USAC Rurality Tier Search Tool
Allows users to determine the applicable rural tier for a specific site location to calculate the rural rate for telecommunications support through the RHC Telecom Program. Tiers include extremely rural, rural, less rural, and non-rural. Tool provides general information; rurality tiers are formally assigned through the review and approval of FCC forms.
Additional links: How to: Use the Rurality Tier Search Tool
Sponsoring organization: Universal Service Administrative Company
Allows users to determine the applicable rural tier for a specific site location to calculate the rural rate for telecommunications support through the RHC Telecom Program. Tiers include extremely rural, rural, less rural, and non-rural. Tool provides general information; rurality tiers are formally assigned through the review and approval of FCC forms.
Additional links: How to: Use the Rurality Tier Search Tool
Sponsoring organization: Universal Service Administrative Company
Related funding:
Rural Health Care Telecommunications (Telecom) Program
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Data for Rural Analysis
A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Delineating Rural Areas in the United States
A poster presentation identifying the common federal rural definitions useful for addressing rural-urban disparities. Demonstrates, by using population characteristics including poverty, uninsured, and disabled data, how each rural definition can affect the sensitivity of the disparity.
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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A poster presentation identifying the common federal rural definitions useful for addressing rural-urban disparities. Demonstrates, by using population characteristics including poverty, uninsured, and disabled data, how each rural definition can affect the sensitivity of the disparity.
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Urban Influence Codes: Documentation
Explains the 9 categories of rural/urban classification included in the 2024 Urban Influence Codes from the Economic Research Service, which are used to categorize counties and county equivalents in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Includes a table showing population estimates and the number of counties in each category using 2020 Census data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Explains the 9 categories of rural/urban classification included in the 2024 Urban Influence Codes from the Economic Research Service, which are used to categorize counties and county equivalents in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Includes a table showing population estimates and the number of counties in each category using 2020 Census data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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How We Define Rural
Explains the major federal government definitions of rural and how they are used by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Explains the major federal government definitions of rural and how they are used by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Last Updated: 4/8/2025