Rural America, Vol. 17, Issue 3
Douglas Bower, Editor
Rural America No. (173)
December 2002
About this magazine
This issue of Rural America examines the aging of the rural population; describing the elderly population in rural America, recent trends in older population change in nonmetro areas, characteristics of older farmers, and federal funding in nonmetro elderly counties. Other articles discuss rural housing prices, rural water supply systems, and the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on socioeconomic conditions in North Dakota. Rural updates include hired farmworker earning and federal funds in rural America.
In this report ...
Articles are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Contents, 325 kb
Frontmatter, 65 kb
Feature Articles
- The Older Population in 21st Century Rural America (337kb)—Older Americans are increasing steadily in number and proportion of the total population, especially those age 85 and older. Rural areas generally have a higher proportion of older persons in their total population than do urban areas. Although poverty rates of older persons have generally declined, a metro-nonmetro gap persists, with the rural elderly more likely to be poor than the urban elderly. For more information, contact Carolyn C. Rogers.
- Recent Trends in Older Population Change and Migration for Nonmetro Areas, 1970-2000 (1,289kb)—The older nonmetro population did not grow as rapidly as the younger population in the 1990s. Its growth was much slower than in the 1980s, and it did not contribute to the overall rebound in nonmetro population growth that was so prominent in the 1990s. The reduction in growth stemmed mostly from smaller numbers of people reaching age 65. As the "baby boomers" begin to reach age 65 late in this decade, the older nonmetro population is once again likely to increase rapidly. For more information, contact Glenn V. Fuguitt, Calvin L. Beale, and Stephen J. Tordella.
- Federal Funding in Nonmetro Elderly Counties (471kb)—Most counties with disproportionately older populations are highly rural, farming counties in the country's midsection. These places face significant challenges from small and declining populations, as well as low incomes and tax bases. Because of age-related income security payments and farm program payments, these counties receive more Federal funds, per capita, than other types of counties. For more information, contact Richard J. Reeder, and Samuel Calhoun.
- The Graying Farm Sector: Legacy of Off-Farm Migration (188kb)—The graying trend among U.S. farmers is not new, but it seems to have accelerated during the 1980s and '90s. Older farmers are leaving the sector at slower and slower rates. One fourth of U.S. farmers and half of farm landlords are at least 65 years old. Farmers and landlords aged 65 and older own a combined one-third of farm assets. For more information, contact Fred Gale.
- Aging in Rural and Regional Australia (1,703kb)—This article examines the spatial dimension of population aging in Australia, which over the past five decades saw the number of Australians 65 and older quadruple to 2.36 million people in 2000. It reviews some basic sociodemographic and socioeconomic attributes characterizing older Australians, and discusses likely future scenarios, and some of the more immediate social and economic implications for rural and regional Australia, such as aging’s impact on agriculture and natural resources management, and the viability of rural communities. For more information, contact Gerald Haberkorn.
- Small Rural Communities' Quest for Safe Drinking Water (137kb)—The overwhelming majority of drinking water systems are small and in small rural communities, serving primarily residential customers with few, if any, commercial or industrial customers. Because they are unable to achieve economies of scale available to larger systems serving urban populations, small water systems face high investment, operational, maintenance, and compliance costs, and charge relatively high water rates. Meanwhile, most of their customers have relatively low per capita income. This creates a dilemma for small water systems—how to provide water at an affordable rate while charging a price that will cover all costs. For more information, contact Faqir Singh Bagi.
- Rural Housing Prices Grew Rapidly in the 1990s (355 kb)—Rural housing prices rose faster than housing prices in metro areas during the 1990s. Between 1989 and 1999, the median price of owner-occupied homes increased by 59 percent in nonmetro areas compared with 39 percent in metro areas. Net migration and household income growth drove the rapid growth of nonmetro housing prices. For more information, contact Darryl S. Wills.
- Socioeconomic Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program in North Dakota (140kb)—Long-term land retirement is an important agricultural policy tool, particularly in the Great Plains States. Landowners there generally felt that the CRP had produced substantial environmental benefits while providing income stability for participants. Community leaders also recognized the environmental and recreational benefits of the CRP, but were concerned about negative impacts on agricultural supply and service sector firms. For more information, contact F. Larry Leistritz, Nancy M. Hodur, and Dean A. Bangsund.
Rural Updates
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