In 2023, there were approximately ***** million people living in rural areas in the United States, while about ****** million people were living in urban areas. Within the provided time period, the number of people living in urban U.S. areas has increased significantly since totaling only ****** million in 1960.

Rural population (% of total population) in United States was reported at 16.7 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

CLICK ON THE ABOVE IMAGE TO LAUNCH THE MAP - Healthcare access issues vary greatly between urban and rural areas of New Mexico. Launch the map to explore alternate ways to classify geographies as urban or rural. These classifications are often used for food access as well as healthcare access.BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH LINKS:US Census Bureau, Urban Area - Urban Cluster FAQ - https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ua/2010ua_faqs.pdfAre the problems with Rural areas actually just a result of definitions that change?: "When a rural county grows, it transmutes into an urban one." - The real (surprisingly comforting) reason rural America is doomed to decline, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/05/24/real-surprisingly-comforting-reason-rural-america-is-doomed-decline/ (See also the complete study - http://programme.exordo.com/2018annualmeeting/delegates/presentation/130/ )Rural Definitions for Health Policy, Harvey Licht, a presentation for the University of New Mexico Center for Health Policy: : http://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=7076f283b8de4bb69bf3153bc42e0402Rural Definitions for Health Policy, update of 2019, Harvey Licht, a presentation to the NMDOH Quarterly Epidemiology Meeting, November, 2019 - http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=a60a73f4e5614eb3ab01e2f96227ce4bNew Mexico Rural-Urban Counties Comparison Tables - October 2017, Harvey Licht, A preliminary compilation for the National Conference of State Legislators Rural Health Plan Taskforce : https://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d3ca56e99f8b45c58522b2f9e061999eNew Mexico Rural Health Plan - Report of the Rural Health Planning Workgroup convened by the NM Department of Health 2018-2019 - http://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d4b9b66a5ca34ec9bbe90efd9562586aFrontier and Remote Areas Zip Code Map - http://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=56b4005256244499a58f863c17bbac8aHOUSING ISSUES, RURAL & URBAN, 2017 - http://nmcdc.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=3e3aeabc04ac4672994e25a1ec94df83FURTHER READING:What is Rural? Rural Health Information Hub: https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/what-is-ruralDefining Rural. Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities: http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/resources/defining-rural/What is Rural? USDA: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/rural-economy-population/rural-classifications/what-is-rural/National Center for Health Statistics Urban–Rural Classification Scheme: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/urban_rural.htm.Health-Related Behaviors by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2013, CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/ss/ss6605a1.htm?s_cid=ss6605a1_wExtending Work on Rural Health Disparities, The Journal of Rural Health: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jrh.12241/fullMinority Populations Driving Community Growth in the Rural West, Headwaters Economics: https://headwaterseconomics.org/economic-development/trends-performance/minority-populations-driving-county-growth/ Methodology - https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/Minorities_Methods.pdfThe Role of Medicaid in Rural America, Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-role-of-medicaid-in-rural-america/The Future of the Frontier: Water, Energy & Climate Change in America’s Most Remote Communities: http://frontierus.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/FUTURE-OF-THE-FRONTIER_Final-Version_Spring-2017.pdfRural and Urban Differences in Passenger-Vehicle–Occupant Deaths and Seat Belt Use Among Adults — United States, 2014, CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/ss/ss6617a1.htm

The average for 2023 based on 24 countries was 37.14 percent. The highest value was in Saint Lucia: 80.83 percent and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, Belize had the highest share of the population living in rural areas in Central America, with over half the residents. Followed closely behind by Guatemala, with almost 47 percent of the population in rural regions. In 2022, Nicaragua ranked as the third most populated country in the region, with over six million inhabitants.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. rural population by year from 1960 to 2023.

United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 17.942 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 18.138 % for 2016. United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 24.985 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.004 % in 1960 and a record low of 17.942 % in 2017. United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

This dataset is about countries per year in Central America. It has 512 rows. It features 3 columns: country, and rural population.

Historical chart and dataset showing North America rural population by year from 1960 to 2023.

Rural population in North America was reported at 63482852 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

This scatter chart displays urban land area (km²) against rural population (people) in Central America. The data is about countries.

Rural population growth (annual %) in North America was reported at --0.62243 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Rural population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

This dataset is about countries in Central America. It has 8 rows. It features 3 columns: country full name, and rural population.

SP.RUR.TOTL. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages. This database presents population and other demographic estimates and projections from 1960 to 2050, covering more than 200 economies. It includes population data by various age groups, sex, urban/rural; fertility data; mortality data; and migration data.

In 2020, about 82.66 percent of the total population in the United States lived in cities and urban areas. As the United States was one of the earliest nations to industrialize, it has had a comparatively high rate of urbanization over the past two centuries. The urban population became larger than the rural population during the 1910s, and by the middle of the century it is expected that almost 90 percent of the population will live in an urban setting. Regional development of urbanization in the U.S. The United States began to urbanize on a larger scale in the 1830s, as technological advancements reduced the labor demand in agriculture, and as European migration began to rise. One major difference between early urbanization in the U.S. and other industrializing economies, such as the UK or Germany, was population distribution. Throughout the 1800s, the Northeastern U.S. became the most industrious and urban region of the country, as this was the main point of arrival for migrants. Disparities in industrialization and urbanization was a key contributor to the Union's victory in the Civil War, not only due to population sizes, but also through production capabilities and transport infrastructure. The Northeast's population reached an urban majority in the 1870s, whereas this did not occur in the South until the 1950s. As more people moved westward in the late 1800s, not only did their population growth increase, but the share of the urban population also rose, with an urban majority established in both the West and Midwest regions in the 1910s. The West would eventually become the most urbanized region in the 1960s, and over 90 percent of the West's population is urbanized today. Urbanization today New York City is the most populous city in the United States, with a population of 8.3 million, while California has the largest urban population of any state. California also has the highest urbanization rate, although the District of Columbia is considered 100 percent urban. Only four U.S. states still have a rural majority, these are Maine, Mississippi, Montana, and West Virginia.

Historical chart and dataset showing Latin America & Caribbean rural population by year from 1960 to 2023.

Central America rural population for was 0.00, a 0% increase from .

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Central America rural population for was <strong>0.00</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>Central America rural population for was <strong>0.00</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
<li>Central America rural population for was <strong>0.00</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from .</li>
</ul>Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in North America was reported at 100 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) in North America was reported at 99.89% in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Data from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, LandScan Global Population 1998 Database. Estimates for rural population were obtained by excluding the Urban Population Areas. This was achieved by removing settled and partly settled grid cells from the Landcover Dataset and removing(limiting) propulation density figures to produce a net result which approximates the known rural population. Data-set has been exported as Binary format.