Rural Population Continues to Decline

The annual Rural America at a Glance showed rural populations are continuing to decline.

USDA Research Economist John Cromartie recaps the numbers.

“The census data shows our sixth consecutive year of overall population decline for rural counties. Overall there’s 200,000 fewer people in 2016 compared to 2010 so the annual rates of decline are actually quite small.”

And the drops are not evenly distributed across the country with areas in the Great Plains and East Coast declining, but areas out west where the rural community has begun pushing agtourism are seeing small increases.