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America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers
Rethinking Urban and Rural Distinctions
For decades, American families have been moving farther away from city centers in search of lifestyle changes, more space and other amenities. Suburbs have increasingly become employment centers, enabling workers to move farther out, even into rural areas, and still have a reasonable commute.
As a result, we’re seeing suburban-style subdivisions in otherwise rural areas; residents of small rural towns working in urban areas; and jobs in urban and suburban areas filled by workers living in predominantly agricultural areas.
“While this is not new, the trend has been a blurring of the line between rural and urban,” said Michael Ratcliffe, senior geographer in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Geography Division.
The increasing connectedness between people who live in rural areas but work in urban areas highlights an interesting dynamic: a melding of rural and urban economies.
Continue reading to learn more about:
- Connected economies
- What "rural" is
- A need for new classifications
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