Examines and explains unexpected population trends since 1970: substantial rural and small-town growth, regional shifts to the South and West, lower birth rates, increased life expectancy, smaller household size, and population growth from immigration. Illustrates how demographic events offer classic examples of the difficulty of predicting human…

In Pennsylvania, high-poverty nonmetro counties are attracting additional poor immigrants, especially the least educated, at the same time that college graduates are showing a net outmigration from rural areas. This pattern increases the strain on rural educational and social services. Survey results suggest that the poor move primarily for…