Rural Communities: Challenges and Opportunities

Compared to urban communities, rural populations across the US face considerable barriers to accessing healthcare, childcare, and quality education. In many rural parts of the country, inequitable access to and quality of early childhood education puts children behind their urban peers in math and reading. Examining these inequalities illustrates both the scale of the problem and accessible solutions that will mitigate long-term disparities. We’ve focused on poverty, education, childcare and access to healthcare in rural areas to bring the conversation home to northern Michigan.

What Is a Rural Community?

Differing definitions of “rural” across governmental agencies make comparing research data difficult. In its broadest sense, rural can be defined as “all population, housing, and territory within an urbanized center or urban cluster,” the criteria used by the Census Bureau. The USDA offers a more specific definition, which is an area with fewer than 500 people per square mile.

Outside of Traverse City, rural areas dominate northern Michigan by both definitions. A third criterion, used by the USDA’s Office of Management and Budget, recognizes zero metro counties north of Newaygo County, near Grand Rapids. 

Challenges Faced by Rural Communities

Every community faces unique barriers influenced by myriad local, state, and federal policies, local demographics, and the changing realities of economic life. Most underserved rural populations share several common challenges, however, which may be divided into overarching categories. 

• Income and poverty

• Education and childcare

• Healthcare

Rural Poverty and Income Disparities

Rural populations experience higher poverty rates compared to urban communities. A 2019 survey discovered that 15.4% of rural households lived on incomes below the US poverty line, compared to 11.9% of urban households. Rural-urban income disparities have been documented since the 1960s, with notable data gaps in the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 21.1% of children are at risk of falling below the poverty line, with millions of households teetering on the edge in turbulent economic conditions.

Child poverty rates tend to be highest in the American South and Southwest, which registered a rural poverty rate of 19.7% between 2015 and 2019. The Midwest region averaged 13.4% of the same period. 

Every northern Michigan county except Leelanau had a child poverty rate above 10%. 

• Antrim - 16.3%

• Benzie County - 14.7%

• Charlevoix - 13.7%

• Grand Traverse County - 12.4%

• Kalkaska - 19%

• Wexford - 20% 

Poverty has a wide-reaching impact on child welfare and life outcomes. Poverty and low-income households face poor living conditions, inequitable access to healthcare, increased risk of school dropout, and increased exposure to employment volatility. 

Opportunities: In addition to federal, state, and local investment and financial welfare programs, communities can address poverty at an early age. In-school programs and initiatives designed to provide job skills, promote financial literacy, and expose children to new opportunities can positively impact outcomes. 

Related: The Role of Physical Activity in Childhood Obesity

Rural Education and Childcare

Education in rural areas varies dramatically by region but shares some consistent challenges from early childhood through higher education. As noted by the Brookings Institute, place matters. Rural community children in the US Pacific region score a full grade level below the national average and two below the average in the Northeast. 

These discrepancies can be attributed to demographic differences and income levels in some areas, though not all.

There is also evidence that distance matters, too. In many states, the further a rural community is from an urban center, the lower its average test score. It’s worth noting that distance may have a larger impact than income levels; low-income rural students trail nonurban peers at roughly the same rate wealthy rural students trail affluent nonurban peers. 

Rural vs. Urban Education Differences in Early Childhood

This education and achievement gap begins early. Rural families are 50% less likely to access childcare, relying on a stay-at-home parent and sacrificing potential income. The same study found that lower-income women were more likely to work multiple jobs during nonstandard hours to alleviate childcare needs and associated costs. Access to childcare once children are in school is a challenge, too. 39% of rural kids would enroll in an after-school program, like our youth bike programs, if one were available. 

Inequitable early childcare and public schools, combined with financial constraints, result in serious barriers to higher education. Only 29.3% of rural youth aged 18-24 enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional programs. This is substantially below the 42.3% national average. 

Opportunities: Childcare continues to prove a serious barrier for families across the country and socioeconomic levels. This crisis will likely worsen as COVID-era funding for childcare providers expires. Legislators have a tremendous opportunity to maintain funding levels and prioritize rural communities.  

Access to Healthcare in Rural Areas

Rural populations face notable barriers to care. Improving access to healthcare in rural areas is especially important in early childhood and impacts more than 1 million infants and toddlers living in nonurban communities. Rural mothers are less likely to access prenatal care, which contributes to an increased risk of low birth weights, infant mortality rates, and preterm birth. 

Studies have also shown that rural children are more likely to be uninsured. This leads to lower vaccination rates and infrequent preventative medical and dental care access. 

Rural hunger and malnutrition exacerbate inequitable healthcare. 16% of nonurban households are considered food insecure, with 9 of the nation’s ten counties with the highest food insecurity rates defined as rural. Hunger and food insecurity affect Black Americans, while some of the highest rates of food insecurity are found in rural Native American communities. 

Opportunities: Non-governmental organizations, federal and state agencies, and private sector organizations have focused on delivering care. Mobile medical operations are bringing much-needed medical and dental care to underserved communities. 

Healthy, Active Kids Everywhere

Outcomes of children raised in rural communities are not inevitably or inescapably poor. Legislation and funding can reduce barriers posed by remote or small populations, including the support of in-school and after-school programs. It’s critical to deliver positive, healthy habits and priorities to rural children and provide skills and resources for them to bring home - and carry with them. Learn more about our bike-centric programs and what we do. Support healthy, active kids on bikes today.