Rural population slightly increased in some places, decreased overall from 2010 to 2011

Rural America slightly increased in population from 2010 to 2011, but most rural counties lost population during that time, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates as reported by the Daily Yonder. The nation's population increased by 2.26 million in the year, but 92 percent of that growth was in urban counties. Less than 2 percent of the increase was in rural counties, which saw an increase of 37,406 people. Of the 2,026 rural counties, 886 maintained or gained population, and more than 56 percent lost population.

Daily Yonder map: Dark blue shows population increase, dark red show decrease

The Southeast, Northeast and West lost the most people, while the Great Plains and parts of the Mountain West were able to hold onto people. Yonder co-editor Bill Bishop writes, "Rural America generally struggled to hang on to its population." Though there were 26,000 more births than deaths in rural counties, their populations tend to be older, and they had 21.3 percent of the nation's deaths, "a disproportionately large share," Bishop writes. Rural counties also lost the more than 91,000 people to domestic migration, but this was almost offset by international migration, which added just under 43,000 people to rural areas during that year.

Twenty-seven states had rural counties among those with the highest population gains. The states with the 10 rural counties that saw the largest percentage population increase are North Dakota, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Utah, New Mexico and Alaska. The state with the 10 rural counties with the highest percentage population decrease are Alabama, Idaho, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and California.  (Read more)