The economic and social character of rural places varies greatly
across America. Some rural areas depend on employment in farming
and mining. Many of these communities face declining job opportunities
and population loss. In contrast, other rural areas, particularly
those rich in natural amenities, such as mountains and shoreline,
have experienced positive economic transformation and rapid population
growth. The Rural Indicators Map
Machine, an Internet-based mapping program on the ERS website,
makes it easier to visualize the geographic distribution of economic
and social conditions across America. The program’s graphic,
user-friendly format enables one to map and explore such trends
as rising Hispanic populations and increasing income disparities
at the national, State, and county levels.
Maps generated through the program reveal overall population change,
population change by race and ethnicity, unemployment rates, and
median household incomes at user-specified geographic levels. Users
can examine the distribution of these indicators across a variety
of ERS classification schemes that categorize U.S. counties by
size, degree of urbanization, and natural amenities, and rural
counties by their primary economic activity. For example, a user
interested in population change in farming-dependent counties can
select the county typology codes data set, zoom in to the State
or county to identify farming-dependent counties, and then select
population change, 1990-2000. Each indicator’s median value
and range can be displayed on request. These values and ranges
can be stacked to make comparisons with other mapped areas.
Unlike pre-generated “static” map images, this program
allows users to examine data, get information about the features
on the map, move to different geographic levels, and change data
layers at their own pace. For example, a user interested in income
variability in North Carolina can select North Carolina, zoom in
to a rural county such as Halifax County, select the median household
income dataset, and compare the income distribution of Halifax
County to other North Carolina counties and to the State as a whole.
The program also displays for each indicator tabular data that
can be downloaded into a text file for further analysis.
As more data are added to the program, its capabilities will expand.
Future updates to the Rural Indicators Map Machine will enable
users to map areas by high school and college completion rates,
average commuting times to work, and other demographic variables.
Additional features will give users more flexibility in generating
maps and charts, along with the ability to
download data in Microsoft Excel files.