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Columbus Dispatch
Census Bureau
surveys highlight growing differences between rural, urban living
By Alan Johnson
If you live in rural Ohio, you're more likely than city dwellers to own
your home, be a military veteran and be married, the latest report from
the U.S. Census Bureau shows.
On the other hand, urban residents' homes are worth more, and they are
more likely to have a college degree and internet access. Rural
residents, on average, are slightly older and less likely to be in
poverty.
Census Bureau statistics released today are culled from the annual
American Community Survey, which provides in-depth state and regional
information based on monthly interviews with individuals.
The survey looks at statistics from all 3,142 counties in the U.S. The
numbers released today cover the period from 2011 to 2015.
The latest numbers show the increasing differences in lifestyles,
economics and other factors between those who live in rural areas of
the country and those who live in cities.
About 100 years ago, more than half of the U.S. population lived in
rural areas. That has changed dramatically: More than 80 percent of
Americans live in urban areas.
"Rural areas cover 97 percent of the nation's land area but contain
19.3 percent of the population (about 60 million people)," Census
Bureau Director John H. Thompson said in a statement. "By combining
five years of survey responses, the American Community Survey provides
unequaled insight into the state of every community, whether large or
small, urban or rural."
The urban-rural split isn't just a matter of demographics, as the
recent presidential election showed. Republican Donald J. Trump won the
presidential election largely on the strength of the rural vote.
Democrat Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, scored well among city
voters but did poorly with rural voters.
In Ohio, Clinton carried the large urban counties while Trump
overwhelmed her in all rural areas, winning the state by 8.1 percent.
Other census facts:
Homeownership was higher in rural areas (81.1 percent compared with
59.8 percent).
More people in rural areas live in the state where they were born (65.4
percent, 48.3 percent).
Veterans make up 10.4 percent of adults in rural areas, compared with
7.8 percent in cities.
The median age in rural areas was 51, compared with 45 in cities.
Among rural residents, 11.7 percent were in poverty, versus 14 percent
of those in cities.
The outlook was mixed for children. In rural areas, those younger than
18 had a lower poverty rate than city-dwelling children (18.9 percent
vs. 22.3 percent), and they were more likely to live in a marred
household.
Ohio trailed the U.S. in median household income at $49,429 compared
with the national median of $53,889.
More information is available on the Census Bureau website,
www.census.gov
Read this and other articles at The Columbus Dispatch
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