Primary Education Topic:
Aging in Community
Other Education Topics:
Aging in Community
Caregiving
Creativity and Lifelong Learning
Health & Wellness
Healthcare & Aging
Multicultural Aging
Approximately 10 million people ages 65 and older live in rural America and a quarter of older Americans live in a small town or other rural area.
By Cindy Padilla
Rural America defies easy definition. It is large and diverse, geographically, ethnically and culturally. In 2010, rural America was home to approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population, yet about 95 percent of U.S territory is still officially designated as rural. Rural America is generally poorer than its urban neighbors, plays an important role in national issues like agriculture and energy, is frequently ignored politically and is aging—even more quickly than the rest of the country.