Overall, rural population nationwide increased from the year prior. But according to a story from Rod Bain, changes in population rates by county varied.
Rural Population Growing Again
The decline in the nation’s rural population first began in 2010, before reaching its lowest level in 2011-2012. Rural areas lost nearly 62,000 residents that year, alone. However, since then it’s begun to reverse. The Economic Research Service at the USDA made that announcement in its annual report titled “Rural America at a Glance.” As recently as 2016-2017, the ERS …