The structure of nonmetro employment has become increasingly diverse and decreasingly agricultural. The precise policy implications of these shifts are not self-evident, but the increasingly nonagricultural character of the rural economy is at the heart of the population turnaround. (Author/KR)

Areas of the West with natural amenities enjoyed growing populations and income levels in the 1990s, mostly from inmigration of people with self-employment or investment income. These were usually young, well-educated professionals in service industries. Rural communities with policies that enhance quality of life (better schools, environmental…