Analysis of annual county-level migration estimates indicates that in recent decades, migrants to the rural South have persistently favored areas with specific attractions: urban access, high-tech jobs, and favorable climates. As migrants are younger and better educated than the overall population, such patterns exacerbate rural development…

During 1999-2001, the combined effects of far fewer rural inmigrants and many more outmigrants led to the first significant nonmetro population loss since the 1980s. The rural West showed the greatest percentage loss through migration, and only the rural Midwest showed a gain during the period. Nonmetro college graduates showed a large decline,…