Rural America Experiencing Rare Population Increase

The most recent Rural America At A Glance report from USDA’s Economic Research Service highlighted an unusual direction for the nation’s small towns: an increase in population.  Thomas Worth is director of the agency’s Resource and Rural Economics Division.

Worth says the growth has come from residents in larger cities relocating to rural areas.

Thomas Worth of USDA’s Economic Research Service adds that possible reasons for the population increase include efforts to expand broadband access to rural areas, among other investments in infrastructure, along with job opportunities in renewable energy.