Does It Cost Less to Live in Rural Areas?

Does It Cost Less to Live in Rural Areas?

It costs about 16 percent less, on average, to live in rural rather than in urban areas. This implies that the official poverty rate overstates rural economic hardship compared with that in urban areas. This study uses data on food insecurity and hunger collected by the Census Bureau for USDA to estimate differences in the cost of living between rural and urban areas and is reflective of the 2000 census.

For more information contact Mark Nord at marknord@ers.usda.gov.

Source: Rural Sociology Volume 65, Number 1 March 2000, Bellingham,WA: Rural Sociological Society, Mark Nord