Rural areas risk being overlooked in 2010 Census

This issue brief describes how the census is conducted in rural areas, identifies some of the most difficult rural areas to count, and highlights what organizations are doing to ensure a more accurate census count in rural America. It also points out that undercounting by the census can lead to communities not receiving a fair share of federal funding

2020 Census Faces Challenges in Rural America

In this brief, author Bill O’Hare discusses how the 2020 Census will have ramifications for every person in the United States, urban and rural residents alike. Outlining the special challenges that will make some rural areas and populations difficult to enumerate accurately, he identifies rural areas where special outreach and operations will be needed to get a complete and accurate count. He reports that though the rural population is generally easier to count than the urban population, several places and populations in rural areas will be difficult to enumerate accurately in the 2020 Census. They include: blacks in the rural South, Hispanics in the rural Southwest, American Indians living on reservations and Alaskan Natives, residents of deep Appalachia, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. In addition, heavy reliance on an internet response mode in the 2020 Census may cause problems in some rural areas, along with the worrisome cancellation of some tests of Census methodology in rural areas. He concludes that it is important that rural scholars, rural leaders, and rural advocates monitor Census Bureau funding and Census planning over the next two years to make sure there are adequate resources for a complete and accurate count of all rural residents in the next U.S. decennial Censu

Child poverty in rural America: new data shows increases in 41 states

A study by the Carsey Institute, based on U.S. Census Bureau data, found that in forty-one states, a higher percentage of rural children live in poverty than did in 2000. While the poverty level in 2006 was relatively stagnant compared to 2005\u27s poverty level, the situation is clearly becoming worse for rural kids

U.S. rural soldiers account for a disproportionately high share of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

A study by the Carsey Institute found that among U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who are from rural America are dying at a higher rate than those soldiers who are from cities and suburbs. According to U.S. Department of Defense records, rural youth enlist in the military at a higher rate than urban and suburban youth and in all but eight states, soldiers from rural areas make up a disproportionately high share of the casualties

Rural soldiers continue to account for disproportionately high share of U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

When the nation goes to war, all Americans are expected to make sacrifices. Today\u27s rural Americans, however, have fewer job opportunities within their communities, and are joining the military at higher rates. In turn, rural communities are facing military losses in disproportionate numbers to their urban counterparts

Child poverty high in rural America

On August 28, 2007, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u27s American Community Survey show that 22 percent of rural children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2000. On average, rates are highest in the nonmetropolitan South (27 percent) and have climbed the most in the nonmetropolitan Midwest (by 3.9 percentage points)

Child Poverty in Rural America

This report explores the well-being of the 14 million children who live in rural America. Rural families represent a significant share of our total population and they are disproportionately poor, less educated, and underemployed. Yet poor children and the unique challenges they face are often overlooked by policymakers. Poor children living in rural America face significant educational, social, and economic challenges just as their urban counterparts do, but many of these problems are exacerbated by the isolation and limited access to support services common in rural areas

Rural children - rural communities

Carsey Institute Child Nutrition Briefings, Washington, D

Rural children are more likely to live in cohabiting-couple households

As cohabiting increases nationwide, new data show that the growing rate of children in these households is most pronounced in rural areas. This brief analyzes recent U.S. Census Bureau data to explore these trends and patterns