What is Rural? – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on What is Rural?.
Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America
Illustrates a broad range of demographic, economic, and county classification data on rural areas across the U.S. in an online, interactive mapping tool. Choose "Select Map to Display" to choose data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Illustrates a broad range of demographic, economic, and county classification data on rural areas across the U.S. in an online, interactive mapping tool. Choose "Select Map to Display" to choose data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
Determines if a community is rural according to the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's (FORHP) definition.
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Determines if a community is rural according to the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's (FORHP) definition.
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Am I Rural?
Helps determine whether a specific location is considered rural based on various definitions of rural, including definitions that are used as eligibility criteria for federal programs. Definitions covered include Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs), Core Based Statistical Areas, Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC), and Urban Influence Codes (UICs).
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Helps determine whether a specific location is considered rural based on various definitions of rural, including definitions that are used as eligibility criteria for federal programs. Definitions covered include Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs), Core Based Statistical Areas, Rural Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC), and Urban Influence Codes (UICs).
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Codes
A list of rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) code data sets, including RUCA codes by ZIP code. RUCA codes classify U.S. census tracts using measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting. The most recent RUCA codes are based on data from the 2010 decennial census and the 2006-10 American Community Survey decennial census.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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A list of rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) code data sets, including RUCA codes by ZIP code. RUCA codes classify U.S. census tracts using measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting. The most recent RUCA codes are based on data from the 2010 decennial census and the 2006-10 American Community Survey decennial census.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Urban and Rural Classification
Provides an explanation of the urban and rural classification systems currently used to identify individual urban and rural areas of the U.S. Includes links to documents, maps, and facts related to 2000, 2010, and 2020 Urban Area delineations.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Provides an explanation of the urban and rural classification systems currently used to identify individual urban and rural areas of the U.S. Includes links to documents, maps, and facts related to 2000, 2010, and 2020 Urban Area delineations.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Metropolitan and Micropolitan
Defines and explains the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas for purposes of collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal data. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area definitions result from applying published standards to Census Bureau data.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Defines and explains the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas for purposes of collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal data. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area definitions result from applying published standards to Census Bureau data.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Amber Waves
Monthly publication of the Economic Research Service. Covers the ERS research and analysis on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. Coverage includes topics related to the social determinants of health for rural people.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Monthly publication of the Economic Research Service. Covers the ERS research and analysis on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. Coverage includes topics related to the social determinants of health for rural people.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural-Urban Continuum Codes
Provides access to Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), a classification system that distinguishes metropolitan counties by population size and nonmetro counties by degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Provides access to Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCCs), a classification system that distinguishes metropolitan counties by population size and nonmetro counties by degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Last Updated: 1/31/2025