Rural Data Sources
Note: Updates to this page are discontinued.
There is a wide range of data sources from Federal agencies that can be used to examine various aspects of rural America. This listing provides a summary of the major Federal sources of statistical data used to analyze rural areas. The data sources are categorized by their content, time period, as well as their geographic coverage.
Source | Agency link | Description | Geographic coverage | Geographic reporting units | Rural classifications | Time period |
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U.S. Decennial Census | U.S. Census Bureau | Complete count of U.S. housing units and group quarters, with data collected on age, sex, and race-ethnicity of all household members | All U.S. States, Puerto Rico and Island Areas | Multiple small-area reporting units, including counties, places, census tracts, and congressional districts | Summary statistics provided for Census-defined rural areas and OMB-defined nonmetro areas | Every 10 years on the first April 1 of every decade |
Population Estimates | U.S. Census Bureau | Population size by age, race-ethnicity, and sex, and components of population change since the most recent decennial census; based on births, deaths, and migration data | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Nation, States, counties; total resident population only for places, and sub-county units | County-level data may be used to generate statistics for OMB-defined nonmetro areas | Annual data, 1970-present |
American Community Survey | U.S. Census Bureau | Survey of housing units and group quarters; primary U.S. source for small-area socioeconomic statistics | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Small-area reporting units, including counties, places, census tracts, and congressional districts | Summary statistics provided for Census-defined rural areas and OMB-defined nonmetro areas | 1-, 3-, and 5-year data products since 2006 |
Current Population Survey | BLS/U.S Census Bureau | Longitudinal survey of housing units; summary tables and microdata about housing units and occupants | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Census regions, Census divisions, some Metro Areas | Primarily uses OMB's nonmetro areas | Monthly surveys since the 1960's |
American Housing Survey | HUD/U.S. Census Bureau | Longitudinal survey of housing units; summary tables and microdata about housing units and occupants | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Census regions, Census divisions, some Metro Areas | Primarily uses OMB's nonmetro areas | Biennial surveys since 1973 |
Building Permits Survey | U.S. Census Bureau | Provides data on the number and valuation of new housing units authorized by building permits | All U.S. States; excludes Puerto Rico and Island Areas | Regions, divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, individual jurisdictions | County-level data may be used to generate statistics for OMB-defined nonmetro areas | Monthly and annually since 1959 |
Local Area Unemployment Statistics | Bureau of Labor Statistics | Monthly estimates of total employment and unemployment widely used as key indicators of local economic conditions | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Multiple units, including States, metro and micro areas, and counties | County-level data may be used to generate statistics for OMB-defined nonmetro areas | Monthly and annual averages since 1976 |
Covered Employment and Wage | Bureau of Labor Statistics | Known as QCEW or ES-202; employment and wage data by industry, based on administrative data for unemployment insurance | All U.S. States, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands | Nation, States, counties | County-level data may be used to generate statistics for OMB-defined nonmetro areas | Annual averages since 1975 |
Local Area Personal Income and Employment | Bureau of Economic Analysis | Personal income and employment by industry. Also included are data on employee compensation, transfer receipts, and farm income and expenses. | All U.S. States | Nation, States, counties, Metro and Nonmetro areas | Summary statistics provided for OMB-defined nonmetro areas and BEA defined regions | Annual averages since 1969 for most data |
Common Core of Data (Education) | National Center for Education Statistics | Survey of public schools with information on schools and school districts; data on students and staff; and fiscal data | 50 states, the District of Columbia,and the outlying areas | Schools and school districts | NCES urban-centric locale code for school districts; county-level definitions may be applied | 1986-87 school year through 2013-14 |
Source | Agency link | Description | Geographic coverage | Geographic reporting units | Rural classifications | Time period |
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State Fact Sheets | Economic Research Service, USDA | Selection of population, income, education, employment, and farm data for all U.S. States | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | States | Separate statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of each State | 1980 to present |
Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America | Economic Research Service, USDA | Interactive mapping tool containing many socio-economic indicators used in rural research | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico (when data are available) | Counties | Includes OMB-defined metro-nonmetro indicator, and several other county classifications | Decennial data, 2000 and 2010; annual data since 2010 |
County Business Patterns/ZIP Business Patterns | U.S. Census Bureau | Economic data by industry, including number of establishments, employment, and payroll | U.S. States, Puerto Rico, and Island Areas | Counties and ZIP code areas | Data may be used to generate statistics for OMB-defined nonmetro areas and ZIP-based RUCA codes | Annual data since 1964 |
Statistics of U.S. Businesses | U.S. Census Bureau | Provides national and subnational data on the distribution of economic data by enterprise size and industry | All U.S. States; excludes Puerto Rico and Island Areas | Nation, States, metropolitan areas, counties | County classifications, including metro-nonmetro areas and ERS urban-rural continuum | Annually since 1989 |
Area Health Resources Files | Health Resources and Services Administration | Socioeconomic and related data about the nations health care delivery system | United States, including Puerto Rico | Nation, States, counties | County classifications, including metro-nonmetro areas and ERS urban-rural continuum | Covers several decades but time period varies by source |
Source | Agency link | Description | Geographic coverage | Geographic reporting units | Rural classifications | Time period |
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Census Urban and Rural Areas | U.S. Census Bureau | Urban areas are densely-settled clusters with at least 2,500 people; defined using census block and block groups | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Multiple units, including counties | Official Census definition of urban and rural for statistical reporting purposes. | Updated every 10 years since 1900 |
Metro and Nonmetro Areas | Office of Management and Budget | Labor-market regions centered around urban areas of 50,000 or more people; remaining counties are nonmetro | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Counties | Widely used to distinguish urban and rural territory at the county-level | Updated every 10 years since 1950 |
Rural-Urban Continuum Codes | Economic Research Service, USDA | Rurality measure based on metro status, urban population, and metro adjacency | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Counties | Based on metro-nonmetro classification | Updated every 10 years since 1970 |
Urban Influence Codes | Economic Research Service, USDA | Rurality measure based on metro-micro status, size of largest place, and metro adjacency | All U.S. States and Puerto Rico | Counties | Based on metro-nonmetro classification | Updated every 10 years since 1990 |
County Typologies | Economic Research Service, USDA | Six categories of economic dependence and seven categories of policy-relevant themes | All U.S. States | Counties | May be used with county-based classifications, such as metro-nonmetro areas | Updated every 10 years since 1990 |
Natural Amenities Scale | Economic Research Service, USDA | Composite of six measures of environmental qualities most people prefer | U.S. States except Alaska and Hawaii | Counties | May be used with county-based classifications, such as metro-nonmetro areas | Based on data from 1941 to 1993 |
County-level Oil & Gas Production | Economic Research Service, USDA | Based on the annual gross withdrawals of crude oil (barrels) and natural gas (cubic feet) from 2000 through 2011 | U.S. States except Alaska and Hawaii | Counties | May be used with county-based classifications, such as metro-nonmetro areas | Based on data from 2000 to 2011 |
Creative Class County Codes | Economic Research Service, USDA | Based on share of population employed in occupations that require "thinking creatively" | All U.S. States; excludes Puerto Rico and Island Areas | Counties | May be used with county-based classifications, such as metro-nonmetro areas | Updated every 10 years since 1990 |
Rural-Urban Commuting Areas | Economic Research Service, USDA | 10-level classification based on urban size and commuting flows | All U.S. States, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands | ZIP code areas and census tracts | Used as a urban-rural definition at the sub-county level | Updated every 10 years since 1990 |
Frontier and Remote Area Codes | Economic Research Service, USDA | Identifies very rural, isolated territory based on urban size and highway travel-time | All U.S. States; excludes Puerto Rico and Island Areas | ZIP code areas and other reporting units | Designed to be used as a remote-rural definition at the sub-county level | Updated every 10 years since 2000 |
Urban-Centric Locale Codes | National Center for Education Statistics, DOE | 12-level classification of schools and school districts based on proximity to urbanized areas | U.S. States, DC, Island Areas | Schools and school districts | Designed to distinguish schools and school districts by rurality | Redesigned in 2006; updated every 10 years |