Households and Families

• In 2005-2007, rural Pennsylvania had 1.3 million households: 54 percent were married couple households; 27 percent were single person households; 9 percent were single parent household; and 9 percent were other types of living arrangements.  (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• Thirty-one percent of rural households and 32 percent of urban households had children under 18 years old in 2005-2007.  (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  

Housing

• In 2007, there were 1.6 million housing units in rural Pennsylvania.  From 2000 to 2007, the number of units increased by more than 74,300, or 5 percent. In urban counties, there were 3.8 million housing units. From 2000 to 2007, the number of units increased by 153,700, or 4 percent.  (U.S. Census Bureau)
  
  
• From 2000 to 2007, rural Pennsylvania gained two housing units for every new resident.  (U.S. Census Bureau)
  
  
• In 2005-2007, the homeownership rate in rural Pennsylvania was 75 percent. In urban counties, the rate was 70 percent. (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• In rural Pennsylvania, 84 percent of housing units were occupied and 16 percent units were vacant in 2005-2007. Of the vacant units, 53 percent were for seasonal or recreational use and 47 percent were for sale or rent, or vacant for other reasons.  (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• In 2005-2007, the average value of a rural owner-occupied housing unit was about $136,958. In urban counties, the average unit was valued at about $214,353. (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• In 2005-2007, a rural renter paid an average monthly rent of $594. An urban renter paid an average monthly rent of $784. (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  

Income

• The average household income in rural Pennsylvania was nearly $52,688 in 2005-2007. In urban areas, the average was more than $68,114. Among rural households, 29 percent had incomes below $25,000 and 5 percent had incomes of $125,000 or more. Among urban households, 24 percent had incomes under $25,000 and 12 percent had incomes of $125,000 or more. (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• In 2006, per capita personal income in rural Pennsylvania was $28,950, or $10,878 less than in urban counties. This gap has more than doubled since 1970, when the inflation-adjusted, rural-urban income gap was $4,323 per capita.  (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)
  
  
• From 2000 to 2006, the inflation-adjusted per capita personal income in rural areas increased by $1,386, or 5 percent. Meanwhile, incomes in urban areas increased $2,311, or 6 percent.  (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)
  
  
• Rural Pennsylvania is becoming increasingly dependent on unearned income. In 2006, about 37 percent of total personal income came from unearned sources, such as interest, dividends and rent, and from government transfer payments, like Social Security and unemployment compensation. In 1974, these sources accounted for just 27 percent of the total. (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)
  
  
• In 2005, the poverty rate in rural Pennsylvania was 12.5 percent. In urban areas, it was 11.6 percent.  (U.S. Census Bureau)
  
  
• In June 2008, 9.2 percent of rural residents participated in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formally known as Food Stamps); 1.2 percent received cash assistance from programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and 15.6 percent were enrolled in Medicaid (Medical Assistance).  (Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare)
  

Businesses and Employment

• In the second quarter of 2008, there were 84,974 employers in rural Pennsylvania, or 25 employers for every 1,000 rural residents. From the second quarter of 2006 to the second quarter of 2008, the number of rural employers increased 2 percent. Urban counties had 239,568 employers, or 27 employers for every 1,000 urban residents. From the second quarter of 2006 to the second quarter of 2008, the number of employers in urban areas increased 3 percent.  (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
  
  
• In 2006, 52 percent of rural Pennsylvania businesses each had fewer than five employees. From 2000 to 2006, the number of these small businesses declined 0.5 percent. In urban counties, 51 percent of businesses each had fewer than five employees. From 2000 to 2006, these small businesses increased 3 percent. (U.S. Census Bureau)
  
  
• In the second quarter of 2008, there were 1.2 million people employed in rural Pennsylvania. From the second quarter of 2006 to the second quarter of 2008, there was an increase of 15,668 employees, or 1 percent.  In urban counties, 4.1 million people were employed. From 2006 to 2008, the number of employed persons increased by 42,680, or 1 percent.  (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
  
  
• In 2007, the annual average rural unemployment rate was 6.0 percent. The urban unemployment rate was 5.4 percent. (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
  

Health Care

• Rural counties have fewer primary care physicians than urban counties. In 2006, there was one rural primary care physician for every 1,681 residents.  In urban counties, there was one primary care physician for every 1,167 residents. (Pennsylvania Department of Health)
  
  
• Along with fewer primary care physicians, rural counties also have fewer dentists. In 2007, there was one practicing dentist for every 2,908 residents. In urban counties, there was one dentist for every 1,957 residents.  (Pennsylvania Department of Health)
  
  
• In 2007, there were 71 general acute care hospitals, with a total of 7,945 beds, in rural Pennsylvania. In seven rural counties, there were no hospitals. On average, there are 2.32 hospital beds for every 1,000 rural residents. There are 2.83 hospital beds for every 1,000 urban residents. (Pennsylvania Department of Health)
  
  
• In 2007-2008, an estimated 9 percent of rural residents under 65 years old did not have health care insurance. An estimated 7 percent of those under age 65 in urban counties did not have health care insurance. (RuralPA-CPS)
  
  
• There were fewer teenage pregnancies in rural counties than in urban counties in 2005. Teen pregnancies accounted for 2.7 percent of total pregnancies in rural counties and 3.8 percent of total pregnancies in urban counties. (Pennsylvania Department of Health)
  
  
• In 2005, rural counties had lower infant mortality rates (6.3 per 1,000 live births) than urban counties (7.5 per 1,000 live births). Rural counties also had a lower percentage of babies born with low birth weight (<2,400 grams) than urban counties (7.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively.) (Pennsylvania Department of Health)
  

Education

• In 2005-2007, 18 percent of rural Pennsylvanians age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 28 percent of urban Pennsylvanians. During this same period, 15 percent of rural and 13 percent of urban residents age 25 and older did not have a high school diploma. (U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey)
  
  
• In the 2006-2007 academic year, more than 503,900 students were enrolled in Pennsylvania's 243 rural schools districts. From 2000 to 2007, the number of rural students decreased 4 percent. Enrollment projections from 2006-2007 to 2016-2017 show that total enrollment in rural schools will decline 7 percent. (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
  
  
• In 2006-2007, 48 percent of rural school district revenues came from the state government; 47 percent came from local sources, such as taxes; and the remaining 5 percent came from the federal government and other sources. Among urban school districts, 32 percent of revenues came from the state; 63 percent came from local sources; and the remaining 5 percent came from the federal government and other sources.  (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
  
  
• In 2006-2007, rural school districts spent an average of $11,199 per student, an increase of 17 percent from 2000-2001. Urban school districts spent an average of $12,379 per student, an increase of 18 percent from the 2000-2001. (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
  
  
• Among the more than 251,600 rural students taking the 2007-2008 math proportion of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test (PSSA), 42 percent scored the highest ranking, Advanced.  Among the nearly 251,500 students taking the reading proportion of the PSSA, 33 percent scored Advanced. Among urban students taking the test, 44 percent scored Advanced in math and 35 percent scored Advanced in reading.  (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
  
  
• In 2008, 75 percent of rural schools (elementary, middle school, high school, etc.) made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), as required in the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Among urban schools, 72 percent made AYP. (Pennsylvania Department of Education)