The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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AI isn't coming for 'blue-collar' jobs. The skilled trades sector boasts 'high-tech, 21st-century, rewarding, well-paying jobs.'

A rural town in Virginia highlights the economic stress and uncertainty that unfolds when its biggest employer closes

Rural America makes small job gains, but issues with child care and education may be preventing bigger gains

Military veterans identify the best employers who support and value them; Forbes magazine has the latest rankings

Opinion: We could end poverty. 'Why don't we do it?'

Rural towns facing meat plant closures struggle to find a new path forward

The loss of timber jobs left this county awash in poverty, violence and tree poaching

Walmart, a big warehouser, starts shifting to robots

SNAP benefits' work rules may leave some rural residents struggling; waivers exist but not all governors can/do apply

Reporters suffer hard times, too; sharing them with readers can make connections through our common humanity

Rural counties still haven't regained jobs they lost in first year of pandemic; 60% had fewer jobs in 2022 than in 2019

More Americans are going hungry than last summer, due to inflation, but 16 states have ended pandemic food-aid boost

Are we in a recession? PolitiFact has primer with rural angle

Because of federal pandemic aid, overall U.S. poverty fell in 2020, especially among children and rural residents

Rural unemployment is lower than it was a year ago, but rural counties and women still have high jobless rates

Job gains, especially rural, stagnate over past three months; most counties are still below pre-pandemic levels

Eviction moratorium extended for those with federal loans; estimates show how many renters are behind in your county

States that cut extra unemployment early saw jumps in hiring of over-25s but a slowdown in hiring of teenagers

With eviction moratorium about to end, most federal relief funds unspent; see how your area fares on rent debt

Economic outlook remains high among small-town heartland bankers, tempered by concern over drought and land prices