Rural America's Sluggish Recovery

A new report the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service details the ways in which rural America has lagged behind metropolitan areas since the Great Recession.

1 minute read

December 2, 2019, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Conservation Subdivision

Randall Arendt / Randall Arendt

Johnathan Knutson shares news of a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, titled "Rural America at a Glance: 2019 Edition."

The report finds stagnant economic growth in rural areas between 2010 and 2018. "In contrast, the nation’s metropolitan counties — generally described as ones with at least one urban area of more than 50,000 people — gained residents and had relatively large economic growth," writes Knutson.

According to Knutson, one of the report's goals was to determine the effects of the Great Recession on the country's rural areas, finding lower population growth and slower employment recoveries, in addition to stagnant economic growth and other findings.

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