Examining census data on each of 3,100 U.S. counties for 1950, 1960, and 1970, the amount of net migration was analyzed in terms of general urban to rural migration, migration and Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) adjacency, 26 rural county subregions, and the kinds of county characteristics associated with population change. Results…

All through the 1970-1980 decade, growth of population took place in the rural and small town areas of the United States where very little had occurred in earlier recent decades. In general, the trend can be viewed as one that was primarily socially motivated but facilitated by improved rural economic conditions. By contrast, in the first 3 years…