USDA ERS:
The
number of people living in rural (nonmetropolitan) counties declined
for the fourth year in a row according to population estimates released
last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. While hundreds of individual
counties have lost population over the years, especially in remote or
sparsely-settled regions, this marks the first period of population
decline for rural (nonmetro) areas as a whole. Population declines stem
from a combination of fewer births, more deaths, and changing migration
patterns. From July 2013 to July 2014, the increase in rural population
that came from natural change (58,348 more births than deaths) did not
match the decrease in population from net migration (89,251 more people
moved out than moved in), leading to overall population loss. The
contribution of natural change to rural population growth will likely
continue its gradual downward trend due to historically low fertility
rates and an aging population. Net migration rates are prone to
short-term fluctuations in response to economic conditions. This chart
is based on the data found in County-level Datasets: Population on the ERS website, updated April 2015.
More bad news for rural areas
here.
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