Whatever migration patterns evolve, changes in the age structure mean that rural communities in general can expect fairly stable elementary school population, reduced high school population, slower growth in new business and employment, and continued increase in the elderly population. (JHZ)

Demographic and socioeconomic conditions and changes in rural communities provide the context for education programs in such areas. Although these conditions have improved since the 1950s, they have worsened since 1980, affecting the human resource base of rural economics. Cyclical and structural changes affect--and are affected--by: (1) reduced…

According to estimates prepared by the Bureau of the Census and the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the 1982 farm population of 5,620,000, or 2.4% of the national population, continued a long downward trend. About 45% of farm residents lived in the North Central region, 35% in the South, 13% in the West,…