Economic status determined the effects of declining public revenues and a tighter economy on residents of Farmville, Virginia, a small, conservative, rural, Southern community with underdeveloped social services, whose class relations still reflect racial segregation, whose concern for local autonomy is so great that external funding sources are viewed as "outside intervention," and whose adjusted gross income and per capita income fall 25% below state averages. To determine how declining public revenues affected Farmville residents, researchers used a community portrait analysis to interview 51 influential leaders and to observe the various group and class interests within the community. Results confirmed prior findings that federal cutback effects are felt less in rural communities that have failed to secure federal monies in the past. In Farmville, federal cutbacks resulted in the substitution of a narrow survival strategy for a wider outreach function on the part of three social service agencies. Tight economy also created layoffs, resulting in a rich labor pool. Finally, the economy eliminated financial help for the poor as banks and financial institutions restricted loan policies. Consequently, lower-income residents of Farmville felt the effects of a tighter economy more intensely and frequently than did middle- and upper-income residents. (SB)