Annual Review of Resource Economics
The Economics of Rural Development in the United States
2026-07-09
This article summarizes the current state of the literature concerning rural economic development in the United States and offers forward-looking recommendations for researchers and practitioners. We review the history of policies and movements that have influenced the US rural economy, spanning an early emphasis on agricultural expansion to post–World War II industrial development to today's more encompassing community economic development programming. The article defines and profiles the current, diverse nature of rural America, detailing its places, people, industries, and assets. It also highlights emerging research topics, data challenges, and innovative methods being applied to rural development, such as systems thinking and participatory research. Learning from this history, we advocate for forward-looking approaches that integrate place-based and people-based policies that recognize the heterogeneity of rural America and strategically deepen urban-rural linkages.