HRSA Rural Population (2023)

Methodology

Data for this indicator are based on rural designations assigned by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). The FORHP defines the following areas as rural:

• Non-metropolitan counties
• Outlying metropolitan counties with no population from an urban area of 50,000 or more people
• Census tracts with RUCA codes 4-10 in metropolitan counties
• Census tracts of at least 400 square miles in area with population density of 35 or fewer people per square mile with RUCA codes 2-3 in metropolitan counties
• Census tracts with RRS 5 and RUCA codes 2-3 that are at least 20 square miles in area in metropolitan counties

The United States Census Bureau (Census), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (ERS) are agencies of the Federal government that describe geographic areas for various purposes. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) uses their delineations and data to form their own rural definition. These data sources include non-metropolitan counties identified by OMB and two measures developed by ERS, the Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes and the Road Ruggedness Scale (RRS).

Data for this indicator include the percentage of the total (2020 Decennial Census) population living in HRSA-designated rural areas. These calculations are based on th following formula:

Percentage of rural population = [Rural Population in County] / [Total County Population] × 100

For more information on the FORHP rural definition and fully rural counties, please visit the HRSA website:

https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/what-is-rural