The analysis of rural counties in this fedgazette issue centers on two variables that policymakers and other community leaders often point to as measures of health: population growth and per capita income growth.
Data on these two variables were gathered from the 1990 and 2000 censuses for the 274 counties that were not located within a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in 1990. (MSA designation is given to a growth area around and including large cities of 50,000, or any urbanized area with a total population of more than 100,000). The exclusion of MSA counties was done to measure and compare rural, or non-MSA, against themselves.
In each category, rural counties were then rank ordered based on the rate of change (rather than nominal levels) during the 1990s. For example, a county that saw its per capita income rise 50 percent to $20,000 was ranked higherbecause of the improvementthan a county whose per capita income rose 25 percent to $30,000. As such, this ordering emphasizes positive change more than comparative well-being. This approach also mitigates the different wage scales in district states, an important point when comparing per capita income.
Counties that were ranked in either to top or bottom 30 percent in both categories were than tagged for further analysis in an effort to find some factors or traits common to each group. See the entire county data set spreadsheet, including all population and income figures.
Rural Counties in Top 30 Percent
in Both Population and
Per Capita Personal Income
(Based on Percent Change 19902000)
County | State | Population Percent Change | Per Capita Personal Income Percent Change |
---|---|---|---|
Mackinac |
MI |
11.9 |
59.3 |
Beltrami |
MN |
15.3 |
60.5 |
Carlton |
MN |
8.2 |
60.5 |
Douglas |
MN |
14.5 |
64.9 |
Goodhue |
MN |
8.4 |
59.8 |
Le Sueur |
MN |
9.4 |
62.9 |
Stillwater |
MT |
25.4 |
70.5 |
Brookings |
SD |
12.0 |
72.4 |
Butte |
SD |
14.9 |
59.5 |
Codington |
SD |
14.1 |
62.1 |
Dewey |
SD |
8.1 |
65.9 |
Shannon |
SD |
25.9 |
77.0 |
Stanley |
SD |
13.0 |
79.1 |
Todd |
SD |
8.4 |
74.9 |
Union |
SD |
23.5 |
107.9 |
Dunn |
WI |
11.0 |
59.6 |
Florence |
WI |
10.8 |
66.1 |
Forest |
WI |
14.2 |
63.3 |
Pierce |
WI |
12.3 |
64.6 |
Sawyer |
WI |
14.2 |
71.6 |
Vilas |
WI |
18.8 |
64.0 |
Rural Counties in Bottom 30 Percent
in Both Population and
Per Capita Personal Income
(Based on Percent Change 19902000)
County | State | Population Percent Change | Per Capita Personal Income Percent Change |
---|---|---|---|
Kittson |
MN |
-8.4 |
41.9 |
Lincoln |
MN |
-6.7 |
45.8 |
Norman |
MN |
-6.7 |
45.5 |
Traverse |
MN |
-7.4 |
36.5 |
Carter |
MT |
-9.5 |
41.3 |
Hill |
MT |
-5.6 |
39.1 |
Liberty |
MT |
-6.0 |
-2.8 |
Phillips |
MT |
-10.9 |
28.4 |
Powder River |
MT |
-11.1 |
34.3 |
Rosebud |
MT |
-10.7 |
40.5 |
Barnes |
ND |
-6.1 |
39.1 |
Eddy |
ND |
-6.6 |
17.4 |
Golden Valley |
ND |
-8.7 |
27.0 |
Griggs |
ND |
-16.6 |
42.4 |
McHenry |
ND |
-8.3 |
33.3 |
McLean |
ND |
-11.0 |
42.1 |
Nelson |
ND |
-15.8 |
13.5 |
Pierce |
ND |
-7.5 |
31.4 |
Sheridan |
ND |
-20.4 |
43.1 |
Steele |
ND |
-6.7 |
25.3 |
Wells |
ND |
-13.0 |
26.3 |
Jones |
SD |
-9.9 |
30.8 |
Perkins |
SD |
-14.5 |
39.2 |
Tripp |
SD |
-7.1 |
37.3 |
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Ron Wirtz is a Minneapolis Fed regional outreach director. Ron tracks current business conditions, with a focus on employment and wages, construction, real estate, consumer spending, and tourism. In this role, he networks with businesses in the Bank’s six-state region and gives frequent speeches on economic conditions. Follow him on Twitter @RonWirtz.