• U.S. Census Bureau data show that during the 1990s, Pennsylvania's rural areas grew faster than its urban areas. Between 1990 and 2000, Pennsylvania's rural areas had a 4 percent population increase while urban areas had a 3 percent population increase. Across the United States, Census data show that rural counties had a 12 percent increase in population between 1990 and 2000. Urban counties had a nearly 14 percent increase during the same period.
  
  
• Nationally, Pennsylvania ranked 48 among the 50 states in the percent change in population between 1990 and 2000. The commonwealth grew faster than West Virginia and North Dakota. Despite the slow growth, Pennsylvania is the sixth most populated state in the nation.
  
  
• Within Pennsylvania, rural counties in eastern Pennsylvania grew three times faster than rural counties in central and western Pennsylvania. At the municipal level, rural townships grew faster than rural boroughs. Between 1990 and 2000, rural townships had an 8 percent increase in population, while boroughs had a 1 percent decline.
  
  
• During the 1990s, rural Pennsylvania became more racially diverse. Census Bureau data show that between 1990 and 2000, the number of rural non-whites nearly doubled in population (an increase of 94 percent). Rural non-whites increased from 2 percent of the total rural population to almost 4 percent.
  
  
• During the 1990s, rural areas saw a return of Baby Boomers. A Baby Boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964. In 2000, this age cohort was between 36 and 54 years old. According to Census Bureau data, during the 1990s, the number of rural Pennsylvania Baby Boomers increased nearly 5 percent, while in urban areas there was a 2 percent decline. Nationally, because of international migration, the number of rural Baby Boomers increased almost 13 percent. In urban areas, the number of Boomers increased less than 1 percent.
  
  
• During the 1990s, rural areas saw an exodus of Generation Xers. Members of Generation X (Gen- X) were born between 1965 and 1975. In 2000, this age cohort was between 25 and 35 years old. Census 2000 data show a decline in Gen-Xers throughout the commonwealth. Between 1990 and 2000, rural areas lost 13 percent of persons in this age cohort. This decline represents an average loss of 19 persons per day, or a total of 69,191 persons. During this same period, urban areas had a 3 percent decline, or 13 persons per day for a total of more than 46,000 persons.
  
  
• On average, rural residents are older than urban residents. An analysis of Census data shows that the average age of rural residents in 2000 was 38.7. The urban average was 37.8. In 1990, the rural average was 37.1 years old, and the urban average was 36.9. One reason rural areas are older is that these areas have a higher percentage of senior citizens. In 2000, 16 percent of the rural population was 65 years old and older. In urban areas, 15 percent of the population was in this age group. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of rural seniors increased nearly 8 percent, while urban seniors increased only 4 percent.
  
  
• Pennsylvania's youth, those under 18 years old, make up about 23 percent of both the rural and urban populations. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of rural youth slightly decreased (0.1 percent) while the number of urban youth increased 6 percent. Throughout the United States, urban areas had a faster increase (15 percent) in youth than rural areas (less than 9 percent). In both rural and urban areas, youth comprise about 25 percent of the nation's population.
  
  
• According to the 2000 Census, there were nearly 225,140 more rural Pennsylvanians under the age of 18 than those over 65.
  
  
• Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health show an overall decline in birth rates throughout rural Pennsylvania since the 1970s. In 2001, 32 of the state's 67 counties had more deaths than births.
  
  
• School enrollment projections by the Pennsylvania Department of Education show enrollment in rural schools declining 12 percent between 2000 and 2012. Urban schools are projected to have an 8 percent decline in enrollment during this period. Statewide, only 23 percent of the 501 school districts are projected to have an enrollment increase during this period.
  

Households

• Corresponding with an increase in population was an increase in families. According to the Census, during the 1990s, rural Pennsylvania saw a 3 percent increase in the number of families. In urban areas, there was a 1 percent increase in families.
  
  
• In both rural and urban areas, about 22 percent of households were comprised of married couples with children. In addition, during the 1990s, both rural and urban areas had a decline in the number of married couple households with children. Between 1990 and 2000, rural areas had an 11 percent decline, while urban areas had a 6 percent decline.
  
  
• The Census Bureau reports that in 2000, single parents comprised about 7 percent of the households in both rural and urban areas.
  
  
• One explanation for rural Pennsylvania's population growth is the increase in the number of persons in institutional group quarters, such as prisons, nursing homes, and hospitals. According to the Census Bureau, between 1990 and 2000, the number of persons in these institutions increased more than 37 percent. Urban areas had a 16 percent increase. In 2000, persons in institutions accounted for 2 percent of the rural population.
  

Housing

• Between 1990 and 2000, Census data show that the number of rural housing units increased by more than 103,900 units, or 7 percent. Urban areas had a 6 percent increase.
  
  
• Census data indicates that 35 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties gained more housing units than people between 1990 and 2000.
  
  
• During the 1990s, the number of homeowners in rural Pennsylvania increased 9 percent, according to the Census. Urban areas had a 6 percent increase. In 2000, rural Pennsylvania had a homeownership rate of 75 percent. In urban areas, the rate was 70 percent. The national rate was 66 percent.
  
  
• In rural Pennsylvania, the 2000 Census showed that 8 percent of housing units are hunting camps, vacation homes, or other types of seasonal units. In Forest and Sullivan Counties, more than 50 percent of the housing units are seasonal.
  
  
• In 2000, according to the Census, the average value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $95,000. In urban areas, the average was $130,400.
  
  
• According to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, the state's rural areas have, on a per capita basis, fewer assisted rental units than urban areas. There are 13 units for every 1,000 residents in rural areas and more than 15 units for every 1,000 residents in urban areas. In addition, 50 percent of the rural units statewide are for the elderly. In urban areas, less than 40 percent of the units are for the elderly.
  

Income

• According to Census 2000, the average household income in rural Pennsylvania was $43,800. In urban areas, the average was $56,600. Looking more closely, nearly 39 percent of rural households had incomes below $25,000 and 8 percent had incomes over $75,000. In urban areas, less than 29 percent of the urban households had incomes under $25,000, and 18 percent had incomes over $75,000.
  
  
• In 2000, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), per capita personal income in rural Pennsylvania was $23,554, or $8,575 less than urban areas and $6,205 less than the national average.
  
  
• Since 1970, the gap in per capita personal income between Pennsylvania's rural and urban areas doubled. In 1970, the BEA reported a $4,147 gap in per capita income between rural and urban areas; by 2000, the gap had increased to $8,575.
  
  
• Between 1990 and 2000, BEA data show that, after being adjusted for inflation, per capita personal income in rural areas increased nearly 8 percent. Urban areas had a 10 percent increase during this period.
  
  
• Rural Pennsylvania is becoming increasingly dependent on unearned income. In 2000, BEA data show that nearly 40 percent of all personal income came from unearned sources such as interest, dividends, rent, and government transfer payments, such as Social Security and unemployment compensation.
  
  
• One reason rural areas have lower income levels than urban areas is the differences in wages and salaries. According to BEA data, in 2001, the average rural worker earned $26,572. The average urban worker earned nearly $9,800 more, or $36,360.
  
  
• Between 1990 and 2000, average annual wages in rural areas, adjusted for inflation, increased about $1,190, or 5 percent. In urban areas, average annual wages increased more than $3,570 or 12 percent. During the 1990s, the earning gap between rural and urban areas increased nearly 36 percent.
  
  
• According to the 2000 Census, nearly 380,200 rural residents lived in households with incomes below the poverty level, or nearly 12 percent of the rural population. More than 30 percent of persons below the poverty level are under 18 years old, and 13 percent are 65 years old and older. The remainder (57 percent) is between 18 and 64 years old.
  
  
• Between 1990 and 2000, Census data show that the number of persons below the poverty level declined 6 percent. Urban areas during this period had a 5 percent increase in the number of persons below the poverty level.
  
  
• Another possible reason for the income gap between Pennsylvania's rural and urban areas is the difference in the cost of living. According to a 2000 Center for Rural Pennsylvania report, prices in rural areas are 3 percent lower, on average, than they are in urban areas.
  
  
• According to the U.S. Court Statistical Division, in 1999, nearly 9,930 rural Pennsylvanians (both individuals and businesses) filed for bankruptcy. This figure amounts to 280 bankruptcies for every 100,000 residents. In urban areas there were 14,152 total bankruptcies, or 383 per 100,000 residents. In both rural and urban areas, the number of bankruptcies has increased more than 58 percent since 1990.
  

Economic Conditions

• According to data from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns, Pennsylvania's rural areas had a 6 percent increase and urban areas had a 5 percent increase in the number of business establishments between 1991 and 2001.
  
  
• Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) show that more than 366,600 new jobs were created throughout Pennsylvania between 1991 and 2001. Only 30 percent of these new jobs, however, were created in the state's rural areas. During this period, rural areas gained 111,500 jobs, experiencing an 8 percent increase. Urban areas gained 255,100 jobs, for an increase of 6 percent.
  
  
• Along with an increase in rural employment was an increase in the civilian labor force. In 2001, more than 1.5 million rural residents were in the civilian labor force, or 58 percent of the population 16 years old and older. Between 1991 and 2001, the rural civilian labor force increased 5 percent.
  
  
• During the 1990s most of the job growth in rural Pennsylvania, according to L&I data, was in the retail and service sectors. Each of these sectors gained more than 25,000 new employees. The sectors with the greatest declines were mining and manufacturing.
  
  
• According to the Census Bureau, in 2001, 75 percent of rural Pennsylvania businesses had fewer than 10 employees. Between 1991 and 2001, these smaller businesses increased nearly 4 percent.
  
  
• In 2002, the average annual rural unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, according to data from L&I. The urban unemployment rate was 5.4 percent. Despite the economic booms of the late 1990s, from 1992 to 2002, the rural unemployment rate was, on average, 1.5 percentage points above the urban average.
  

Health Care

• Between 1990 and 1999, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) reported a 31 percent decline in rural hospital beds. In 1999, there were 2.6 beds for every 1,000 rural residents. In urban areas there were 3.0 beds for every 1,000 residents. Rural hospitals also reported a decline in admissions. Between 1990 and 1999, rural hospital admissions declined 8 percent. In urban areas there was a 3 percent decline.
  
  
• According to data from the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, rural areas have fewer primary care physicians than urban areas. In 1999, there were 82 primary care physicians for every 100,000 rural residents, while in urban areas there were 158. Rural areas also have fewer dentists. In 1999, there were 48 dentists for every 100,000 rural residents, and in urban areas there were 76 dentists per 100,000 residents.
  
  
• There were fewer teenage pregnancies in rural areas than in urban areas. DOH data from 2000 show that rural areas had a teen pregnancy rate of 3.3 percent and urban areas had a rate of 4.3 percent.
  
  
• Rural areas, according to DOH data, had a slightly lower infant mortality rate (6.6 per 1,000 live births) than urban areas (7.1 per 1,000 live births). In addition, rural areas have a lower percentage of babies born to mothers who received little or no prenatal care (13.7 percent) than urban areas (14.1 percent.)
  

Education

• According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) 584,000 students were enrolled in Pennsylvania's 243 rural schools districts in 2000. About 53 percent of students were enrolled in elementary schools (K to 6th grade) and 47 percent in secondary schools (7th to 12th grade). Between 1990 and 2000, the number of students in rural districts increased 2 percent.
  
  
• In the 2000 school year, less than 10 percent of rural students attended a private school. In urban areas, nearly 20 percent of students attended private schools.
  
  
• PDE data from 2000 show that 2 percent of rural students dropped out of high school. In urban areas, the rate was nearly 3 percent.
  
  
• In rural areas, 68 percent of the graduating class of 2000 planned to go on to college or trade school, according to data from PDE. In urban areas, more than 77 percent of graduating students planned to continue their education.
  
  
• The average rural school district spent approximately $7,777 per student during the 2000 school year. In urban areas, PDE reported that the average district spent more than $8,474 per student. Between 1990 and 2000, rural school expenditures per student increased 28 percent, and urban school expenditures per student increased 10 percent.
  
  
• For the 2000 school year, PDE data show that rural schools received nearly half, or 48 percent, of their revenues from the state. Urban schools received less than 34 percent of revenues from the state.
  
  
• During the 2000 school year, PDE data show that rural areas had a ratio of 16.6 students per teacher. In urban areas, the ratio was 15.6 students per teacher.
  
  
• That same year, rural teachers earned $44,287, or $6,000 less than urban teachers. Between 1990 and 2000, after adjusting for inflation, rural teacher salaries increased 15 percent.