Abstract
In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that rural America is now gaining population again after a decade of loss. The recent rural population gain of 197,000 is striking given that pandemic-era deaths exceeded births in nonmetropolitan areas by a staggering 454,000 between April of 2020 and July of 2023, compared to a net natural loss (more deaths than births) of just 19,000 in the three years before the pandemic.
Even though rural America had an overall population gain between 2020 and 2023, just 45 percent of all rural counties gained population. Most of the recent nonmetropolitan population increase accrued to high amenity recreational and retirement areas. Here migration gains accelerated because pandemic-related remote work arrangements and early retirements gave people, including many from urban areas, more residential flexibility. In addition, current rural residents were reluctant to leave during the pandemic which diminished the stream of outmigrants.
For counties that have been losing population for decades, sustained net migration gains provide the only demographic lifeline to stave off depopulation. Whether recent nonmetropolitan migration gains will continue in this turbulent era remains to be seen, as does the future of many rural areas.
Department
Carsey School of Public Policy
Publication Date
Fall 11-13-2024
Series
National Issue Brief No. 185
Publisher
Durham, N.H. : Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Kenneth M., "Migration Continues to Sustain Population Gains in Rural America" (2024). Carsey School of Public Policy. 497.
https://scholars.unh.edu/carsey/497
Rights
Copyright 2024. Carsey School of Public Policy. These materials may be used for the purposes of research, teaching, and private study. For all other uses, contact the copyright holder.