The US population living in rural areas grew at half the rate between 2000 and 2010 than it did in the decade prior. A recent Wall Street Journal article attributes this to “a drop in the number of jobs in these often-isolated areas.”
The article continues, “Driving the change is fewer jobs. During the booming 1990s, far more people moved to rural areas to take manufacturing and other jobs. In more recent years, however, rural employment growth has dwindled.” At the same time, there has been increased racial diversity in rural areas. Additionally, the author notes that areas with rich attractions like lakes and ski resorts grew more than 10% in the past decade, on par with urban areas.
Read the full Wall Street Journal article.