Rural is Ready
Rural working people are hungry for change
We work hard to take care of our families and our neighbors.
We are passionate about the places we call home and are deeply connected to the people, land, and traditions that define us. Heartland Fund provides tools and opportunities for groups to leverage their strengths to improve our communities.
Rural Demographics by the Numbers
Supporting rural communities includes understanding who lives here, and realizing that rural communities look different from each other.
24%
are Black, Indigenous, and people of color
1/10
Rural counties are majority Black, Indigenous, and people of color
4.9%
identify as Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian
20%
Increase in rural Hispanic population since 2010
1/3
of voters live in small towns and rural areas
37%
of voters who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color live in small cities and rural areas
Tool
Defining Rural
Heartland Fund uses a combination of census tract coding, population density, and proximity to a major city to define where is rural and small city.
Working for progress despite limited access to tools and opportunities
People in rural communities are 25% more likely to live in poverty and face mortality rates 18% higher than people in metro areas. Our communities also have the highest rates of incarceration in the nation. Rural workers earn less, are more likely to be injured on the job, and are less likely to have benefits like paid leave or healthcare.
Growing corporate power and decades of federal and state disinvestment have left our communities facing unique challenges. Only 7% of funds from the top 1,200 major philanthropies go to rural areas, and there is a lot of variation in the availability of those funds for the communities who need them. As a result, 91 of the 100 most disadvantaged communities in the United States are rural.
Recent economic struggles have accelerated these challenges, with our communities hit harder by the economic downturn. Following the pandemic, it took three years for rural employment to catch up, while urban areas recovered much faster with higher wages. This slow recovery mirrors the uneven impacts of the 2008 crash.
People in rural communities are deeply connected to each other — on both an economic and a social level. Hardships are experienced on a communal level, and people in rural communities take great pride in supporting each other and creating community solutions.
State of Local News
Decline of Local News Outlets
The decline in local news is correlated with a decline in voter participation, and nearly 55 million residents live in places with little to no local news. The 206 counties without a single news source are predominantly rural, and residents often lack cable or reliable high-speed internet access. Without a local news service or broadband, many people rely on their cell phones, which offer a diet heavy on national news, as well as misinformation and disinformation.
Rural is Ready for More
Rural focus groups show that rural people want to tell stories about rural life, celebrate our victories, and highlight our challenges. While many of our communities grapple with daunting challenges, we resolutely seek ways to overcome these obstacles and embrace prosperity. Our communities act out of hope and help people to both receive and offer support.
Rural people want to breathe new life into our homes by bringing manufacturing jobs to our towns rather than shipping them overseas. We want to lower the prices of prescription drugs, improve our schools, and help local workers get skilled training. A recent Heartland Fund poll confirmed what many of us already knew: rural voters overwhelmingly agree the government should support small and independent family farms over large corporate agribusinesses. And rural people are pushing back against the partisan politics and culture war rhetoric that have been dividing us rather than helping rural Americans work together for shared prosperity.
Rural voters support policies that change our lives
Polling shows that rural voters support policies that create real change in our lives. Rural people support the Inflation Reduction Act and passing a new voting rights act. In addition, 92% of rural voters in states such as Montana, Wisconsin, and Arizona agree that we should shift government support from corporate agribusinesses to small and independent family farms. 74% of rural voters across various states also agree that abortion should be legal.
Lowering prices, bringing good-paying jobs to our communities, and combating corporate greed are as important to rural communities as values like family and freedom. Concerns about retirement and social security, health and reproductive care, dysfunction in government, and jobs and the economy are also top issues.
Invest in Rural Leadership
Right now, rural communities have an urgent imperative to unite around practical solutions. There’s a surge of federal funding available that expires this year, and we feel a real responsibility to help make sure it reaches the rural places that need it most. When that happens, it can mean lower costs, good jobs, and stronger local services.
Heartland Fund supports rural leaders with the tools to win this fight, like building civic power, issue advocacy, program implementation, helping communities secure public investment, advancing practical solutions and building sustainable coalitions spanning geography and race. This work is most effective when it is rooted in close relationships and when organizing and communications go hand in hand. It also depends on local leaders having real training and support, and on sharing success stories that other communities can adapt.
In addition to grantmaking, we support rural leaders and organizations through convening, research, and communications. We’re already seeing what this approach can do — more people getting involved, life‑saving policies passed and implemented, and rural communities winning investment in housing, schools, clean energy, and health care. Yet rural leaders still don’t have the resources they need. With more support, they can reach more people, push back on misinformation, and build the power it takes to change communities for the long haul.