Rural Issues

U.S. Aging Trends

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006, 37 million Americans were 65 and over, or 12 percent of the population.  Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 will start turning 65 in 2011. This will initiate a dramatic increase in the proportion of the population over 65 that will last until 2030, when those 65+ will comprise 20 percent of the total U.S. population.  In 2030, the proportion of elderly will stabilize (see chart at right from the Census Bureau).  Visit agingstats.gov for more information

There are many differences by state and county.  Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have the highest percent over 65 (see map at right from the Census Bureau).

The U.S. is relatively young for a developed country.  More than 15 percent of Europeans and nearly 20 percent of Italians and Japanese are 65 or older.  Our Baby Boom generation is healthier, better educated, and wealthier than previous older populations, and experiences less disability.

Rural counties tend to have a higher proportion of older residents than urban.  Almost 15 percent of rural county residents are currently 65 and over.  Some studies find that rural elders are healthier but less well educated and poorer than their urban counterparts.  However, many rural areas are receiving older in-migrants from urban areas and are enjoying a renaissance as retirement destinations.  Rural counties have experienced a net in-migration of people 60 and over during three of the last five decades, especially in the 1970s – when rural and small town areas grew faster than urban and suburban America – and 1990s.

Rural Retirement Destinations

The migration of people 60+ continued from 1995 to 2000, when a disproportionate share of those over 60 who migrated went to rural areas.  In the US Department of Agriculture’s typology of rural areas, these counties are called Rural Retirement Destinations, or RRDs.  Most are in the South and West, another one-quarter in the Midwest, and the remainder scattered in the Northeast.  Twelve New York counties, including six wholly or partially within the Adirondack Park, are receiving a notable influx of older in-migrants.  For more complete information on types of rural areas, see the Department of Agriculture publication, Understanding Rural Areas.

Nina Glasgow and David Brown of Cornell University’s Community and Rural Development Institute say that rural destination communities can maximize the opportunities and reduce the costs of older in-migration by expanding their vision from a “pensions and care” perspective to a thoughtful review of challenges and opportunities as part of planning for aging in place.  Glasgow and Brown state that “With thoughtful planning older in-migration can be a significant asset to rural community development.”    They recommend that

• Communities promote an inclusive environment and high social participation for older residents.  It will increase the productivity of in-migrants and locals and strengthen local institutions by engaging more people in volunteer services.
• The public agenda must be established through an open and inclusive process, but in-migrants should not be allowed to displace long-term residents in voicing needs and opinions.
• Planners must address long as well as short-term needs because while in-migrants may have fewer current needs, they will increase in the future.  .
• As more Baby Boomers age and retire to rural destinations, the age profile of older populations will diversify and change, increasing the complexity of community planning.

How are Rural Areas Different from Urban Areas?

Rural and urban areas differ on physical and typographical, demographic, social, and program dimensions:

• Demographic and settlement pattern differences
  • Low density population and housing
  • Higher proportion of older residents
  • Older population is healthier and more able than urban areas
  • Lower education levels than in urban areas
  • Lower incomes than in urban areas
  • Fewer children
  • Out-migration of 18 to 34-year-olds
  • In-migration of older adults

• Service differences
  • Greater distances for services
  • Higher population homogeneity - less social mixing
  • Fewer affordable housing options
  • Limited public transportation

• Social differences
  • Higher dependency on smaller group of people
  • Communities more closed to outside influences
  • Greater opportunity for outdoor contact
  • Resistance to change may be higher
  • Income and education opportunities are lower

• Program differences
  • Greater attention to environmental conservation in technical planning and settlement layout
  • Sustainability may be more important in natural resource areas

How is Rural Aging in Place Different?

These differences lead to differences in service delivery and policy making that affect aging in place in rural areas:

• Differences in service delivery
  • Smaller range of types of services available
  • Cost for service delivery higher
  • Expertise lower
  • Fewer young people to provide services
  • More need to share services
  • Regional planning needed
  • More need for technical and remote innovations in delivery of health services
  • Critical gaps in housing and transportation important

• Policy differences
  • Historically, less concern by policymakers for rural aging in place issues
  • Lower funding for models
  • Focus on provision of health services
  • Zoning regulations often prohibit higher density housing, although they are changing
  • Policy makers need to factor in higher cost/time for delivery of services
  • Policy needs to encourage regionalized sharing