Andy Bauer and Danny Twilley discuss the research they are doing to better understand gaps in the housing markets of rural communities and small towns and the unique challenges they face in addressing these gaps. Bauer is vice president and regional executive for the Baltimore branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Twilley is assistant vice president of economic, community and asset development for the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative at West Virginia University.

In addition to differences in housing affordability, rural Fifth District households experience differences in housing quality by tenure and income.

While the recent decline in rural homeownership affordability has challenged prospective buyers, many existing rural homeowners and renters are also burdened by their housing costs.

The rise and fall of Gary, W.Va — and that of company towns across the country — mirrors the arc of the nation's economy.

Now that the pandemic has tightened the labor market further, smaller communities are going to have to figure out how to put their best foot forward.

A Community Conversations visit to two counties in rural western Virginia showcased inviting landscapes that offer opportunities for economic growth.

Bank leaders spent time with leaders in Anne Arundel County in mid-July and Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester counties in mid-August.

A unique partnership between Compass Point Preschool and Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw, South Carolina, makes affordable, high-quality child care accessible to parents entering the labor force.

The Richmond Fed's Community Conversations team discovered a similar focus on workforce development and affordable housing in two regions of South Carolina.

The Bank hosted national, regional and local funders to discuss how to more strategically provide rural communities with access to capital.

Changes to the urban area criteria used for the 2020 census data have resulted in shifts in the rural-urban population distribution in parts of the Fifth District.

Anita Brown-Graham describes the key components of lasting development in rural communities. She shared these insights in her keynote at the Richmond Fed's Investing in Rural America conference in April 2023.

The Richmond Fed Community Conversations team visited Wythe County to explore the region's promises and possibilities.

The most recent District Dialogues program explored ways that extreme weather is affecting the economy and Fifth District communities.

Since becoming President of the Richmond Fed in 2018, Tom Barkin has made spending time throughout the Fifth District his goal. One of the ways the Richmond Fed's research department supports this goal is through an event series known as Community Conversations.

Carroll County, Virginia, worked closely with Virginia Housing and developer Landmark Asset Services, Inc. to repurpose the county’s old high school building into affordable rental housing.

Richmond Fed Community Development leader Jason Smith co-chairs a national group of Federal Reserve leaders focused on understanding rural communities.

The Richmond Fed's Community Development team connected organizations on Maryland's Eastern Shore with potential funders during a recent Investment Connection program.

President Tom Barkin shares how small towns in the Fifth District are putting their best foot forward to attract talent.

Santiago Pinto discusses his research on commuting patterns in the Fifth District and how these patterns may help us better understand the economic connections between rural and urban communities. Pinto is a senior economist and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

$440 million in competitive economic development grants from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act have arrived in the Fifth District where the funds are expected to have an outsized impact in rural areas.

President Tom Barkin shares how engagements with the Fifth District community inform our understanding of the economy.

Examining commuting behavior helps show how connected counties are in the Fifth Federal Reserve District.

After accounting for cost of living, teachers' salaries go further in some rural communities throughout the Fifth District.

States and communities are looking for remote workers as sources of economic growth. Is offering them cash and other perks a promising model of economic development?

We're building our data products to help data users and local and state leaders gain quick insight into geographic differences across a range of indicators.

Sierra Latham and Stephanie Norris discuss the challenges of collecting socioeconomic data on small towns and rural areas, how data analysts address them, and the value of that work in analyzing and improving the Richmond Fed's understanding of these communities.

The New River Valley Regional Commission is an example of how a regional development organization can galvanize innovative, sustainable regional and local housing strategies to serve its small towns and rural communities.

Nicolas Morales reviews his research on the economic role of non-native workers in rural areas. Morales is an economist at the Richmond Fed.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, have people moved away from urban cores in favor of more rural areas?

The Appalachian Regional Commission, created in the 1960s, became a model for regional economic development programs.

Small towns have an opportunity to address challenges from health care to transportation, but there are barriers to accessing funding.

Numerous factors — including population growth, education, housing, transportation, child care, health, and broadband availability — are shaping the differences in employment outcomes between rural and urban communities.

When immigration is restricted in rural areas, native workers don't seem to fill the jobs left empty.

Host Tim Sablik discusses his recent research on the value of entrepreneurs in the economic growth of rural places and small towns, as well as the obstacles that they face compared to more urban communities. Sablik also talks with Erika Bell and Laura Ullrich about what they have learned from their contacts in North Carolina and South Carolina about rural entrepreneurship. Bell is community development regional manager for the Carolinas and Ullrich is a regional economist in the Richmond Fed's Charlotte branch.

Housing and transportation represent the two largest living expenses in most households, but local investment can address households' travel needs.

Although U.S. employment in manufacturing has decreased since the 1980s, the industry has become a vital employer in rural areas, where it pays above-average wages.

A recent analysis shows significantly higher inflation in rural areas versus urban areas, using data from nine broad census divisions. But does this difference in price levels hold true drilling down to the state level?

President Tom Barkin discusses pools of funding available to small towns, the barriers these communities face in accessing funding, and explores potential solutions to these barriers.

Intermediary organizations, including anchor institutions, rural development hubs, and collective impact backbone organizations, play an important role in rural capacity building.

Sierra Latham and Peter Dolkart discuss their work on the availability of affordable housing in small towns and rural communities. Latham is a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Dolkart is a community development regional manager based in the Richmond Fed's Baltimore office.

President Tom Barkin discusses critical investments to support rural economic development.

As a regional Fed, it is in our mission to help wherever we can to promote economic vitality in our District. So, starting in early 2018, the Richmond Fed stepped up its efforts to learn about rural and small-town economies and to seek ways in which outcomes could be improved and potential unleashed.

Entrepreneurship creates many local benefits, but starting a new business in rural places can be challenging

The rural areas and small towns that are succeeding have several key elements: a story, regional cooperation, and dedicated funding — tied together by something harder to define.

Although people often associate high housing costs with urban areas, many households in rural areas also struggle with costly housing

The pandemic has worsened a long-standing national shortage of nurses. Rural communities face the greatest challenges.

Tressa Gardner provides an overview of the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SiMT), the business incubator and other programs that it operates, and its role in supporting economic development in northeastern South Carolina. Gardner is associate vice president of SiMT.

The GoodCare Program in Virginia helps aspiring workers complete career pathways in health care, addressing workforce shortages in a sector essential to equitable pandemic recovery.

Mary Ann Gilmer of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys discusses the nonprofit's training program for healthcare workers and the importance of this work in rural communities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilmer is chief strategy and people officer at Goodwill.

Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, discusses the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities and smaller towns, and why the Richmond Fed has been working to address them.

Rural America Week brings together community leaders, policymakers, and representatives from financial institutions and foundations.

According to the latest census data, the share of Americans living in rural areas continued to decline over the past decade, while urban areas have grown.

Daniel Paul Davis and Andrew Dumont discuss an approach to economic development in rural communities that is detailed in a book they have edited, "Investing in Rural Prosperity."

Heirs' property, land passed through generations without a clear title, is an unstable form of landownership that can lead to lost capital and wealth.

The Danville region in Virginia has moved the needle on early childhood education and now has an ecosystem in place to help address future challenges.

Angela Wells, executive director of Smart Beginnings Danville Pittsylvania, discusses how her Southside Virginia organization supports parents, schools and early child care providers in preparing children for success in school and in life.

President Tom Barkin shares innovative strategies and success stories from small towns around the Fifth District.

Deborah Markley discusses how community foundations support capacity building and development to improve the well being of rural communities.

Focusing on a complete household's needs, Garrett County Community Action Committee's integrated "2Gen approach" links children to high-quality early education and their parents to services that build financial security.

Duane Yoder, executive director of the Garrett County Community Action Committee, discusses how his organization adopted a holistic model for addressing poverty in rural communities.

Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) like Woodlands Community Lenders are uniquely positioned to help rural towns address unique challenges through place-based revitalization and by attracting investment.

Dave Clark discusses the role of Woodlands Development Group and his organization's community development financial institution in driving economic development in north central West Virginia.

Are you considering all the impacts to your customers when you debate closing a branch? In addition to the economic and financial impact of closing a branch, it’s crucial to consider the legal and compliance risks related to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) ratings and fair lending as part of a branch evaluation.

Vance-Granville Community College's early college high schools and workforce programs are improving education and job opportunities for area residents.

Choptank Electric Cooperative on Maryland's Eastern Shore is an example of how many electric cooperatives are providing broadband service in rural communities.

Tim McGaha of Choptank Electric Cooperative offers his perspective on the company's program to bring broadband Internet to rural communities in Maryland.

In our new Rural Spotlight series, we explore solutions to the economic challenges faced by rural communities in the Fifth District.

Alex Marré and Anna Read discuss how communities can maximize broadband resources.

Rural black Fifth District communities have long suffered fewer economic opportunities and thus worse economic outcomes.

This article provides some history on the evolution of the Fifth District population across race and the rural-urban continuum since the late 1800s.

Alex Marré discusses the ongoing challenges of bringing broadband Internet service to everyone who needs it. 

How did rural and urban counties compare on measures of health outcomes and drivers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Digital connections have become more important in a time of social distancing, but rural broadband access still lags behind cities.

Research indicates that one promising strategy for rural development is maintaining and improving the quality of an area's public schools.

Although the Fifth District’s black population tends to have higher employment and educational attainment compared to the nation’s, there are still significant disparities relative to whites.

Read President Tom Barkin’s new essay on whether the COVID-19 pandemic could provide an opportunity for small towns to rewrite their endings.

Population decline has been a problem for many rural communities, including in the Fifth District. What are the current trends and potential strategies to address it?

During the Great Depression, communities banded together to bring electricity to America's farmland.

What does hospital capacity look like in the Fifth District, and how might rural hospital closings impact the current crisis?

The Crooked Road trail celebrates the cultural history of Appalachian music and arts. In 2015, it was estimated to bring $6.4 million in tourism spending to the region annually and continues to promote growth in southwest Virginia’s tourism industry today.

To study the allocation of workers across cities, we propose and quantify a spatial equilibrium model with multiple industries that employ CNR and alternative (non-CNR) occupations.

Why are hospitals in rural areas closing at a higher rate, and what are the consequences for these communities?

Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin discussed economic differences between small towns and urban areas at the Investing in Rural America conference.

Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin discussed how entrepreneurship can boost economic growth at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce 2019 Annual Meeting and Business Summit.

A new financing model for distressed communities offers both promise and pitfalls.

Why are hospitals in rural areas closing at a higher rate, and what are the consequences for these communities?

Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin highlighted themes for rural communities — education, jobs, de-isolation, and participation — at the Virginia Governor's Conference on Agricultural Trade.

We document that seasonal temperatures have significant and systematic effects on the U.S. economy, both at the aggregate level and across a wide cross section of economic sectors.

The Fifth District includes both urban and rural communities. How do we define urban and rural, and what do data tell us about the disparities?

How accessible are opioid treatment programs? This issue of 5th District Footprint explores District residents' access to programs.

Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin discussed geographic differences between rural and urban areas, workforce development, and mobility at the Reinventing Our Communities conference.

This issue of 5th District Footprint examines national trends in the poverty rate and how it has changed in District counties since the Great Recession.

Soul City, N.C., was a bold experiment in rural economic development and "Black capitalism" launched by McKissick Enterprises in 1969.

With opioid cases on the rise, this issue of 5th District Footprint examines opioid prescription rates and drug overdose mortality rates in the District.

The effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on Fifth District firms were largely indirect and negative, although some businesses reported positive economic impacts.

The Fifth District Hispanic population has been exhibiting significant growth, but labor market indicators provide insight on income disparity relative to population overall.

Fifth District states — especially West Virginia — are struggling with the opioid epidemic as drug use and opioid overdose deaths continue to rise.

The absence of "boomerang buyers" in the housing market could have implications for near-term economic growth in the United States.

Getting outdoors is healthy for individuals--and maybe for the economy. How large is the economic impact and who measures it?