Op-ed argues that the popular narrative about rural Californians is false; in fact, rural communities are doing well

Lounging dairy cows in Kern County (Photo by Brian van der Brug, L.A. Times)

Many rural Californians don't fit the current narrative of conservative, angry Americans who feel left behind. Elizabeth Currid-Halkett and Marley Randazzo encourage readers to take a closer look at how rural is socially and politically defined and what that might mean more broadly for rural America in their Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times, "Rural California isn't what you think it is."

A popular rural narrative, they contend, is that rural Californians voted for Trump in 2020, because "they are poor, angry and feel left behind by the political establishment and educated urban elites." But, scrutiny dispelled much of this storyline. "In fact, many rural areas in California are doing well economically. Also, their vote for Trump is misunderstood. With Trump again a viable presidential contender, politicians, policymakers and the public should shift their lens upon rural areas."

A more "nuanced" approach that reconsiders what many thought was rural California or even rural America would bring more understanding. "Rather than dismissing rural Americans and assuming their politics, we ought to take the time to understand these complex communities. Our country's future depends on it," Currid-Halkett and Randazzo write.

They note researchers and government policy writers use dozens of ways to define rural; however, "most folks think of places beyond the city limits, layered with farms, dirt roads and humble main streets," but in California, that's not the case. "Much of Fresno County may appear to Angelenos as rural with its expansive farmland. However, Fresno has an urban population of about 900,000, meaning the county qualifies as a medium-sized metropolitan area according to Department of Agriculture standards."

Nor does living in rural California mean barely scraping by. "Our analysis of recent census data reveals that rural Californians are substantially more likely than their urban counterparts to own their own home and be employed," Currid-Halkett and Randazzo add. "Rural California's unemployment rate is 3% compared with 4.2% for metro areas. Against the backdrop of a housing crisis, homeownership in rural California is more than 70%, while just 55% for our cities."

Political opinions about rural residents are also riddled with misconceptions. "Although Trump won 10 of California's 13 rural counties in 2020, the data show that some rural margins were razor thin," they note. "Over the past five years, one of us spoke to dozens of Americans, finding that not only are rural Americans not angry at liberal elites living in cities but that they share many of the same values. When asked about democracy, equality, immigration and other important issues of our time, rural Americans were in line with what their urban counterparts expressed. They conveyed, however, a wariness toward being told what they should think and say."