Networking communities and school districts is crucial for effectively sharing resources and delivering services in rural areas. The study of the organization of southern non-metropolitan counties for the delivery of services is part of a regional project called "Analysis of Structural and Organizational Change in Rural Counties of the…

This map of the contiguous United States uses a seven-color scheme to display a rurality index score for counties. The measure of rurality is intended to represent degree of isolation from and inability to participate in the programs of the larger society. It is intended to reflect both physical isolation and the isolation that comes from a lack…

The Rurality Index measures community access to resources for resolution of local problems; includes physical, population, educational, and financial elements; and assesses community connections to the larger society and the global economy. Analysis found that U.S. metro counties were heavily skewed to the least rural end of the scale but…