Rural Communities in RCAC's 15 Western States

According to the 2000 census, the non-metropolitan (rural) population is 55.4 million - 19.7 percent of the total U.S. population spread to over four-fifths of the land area. The landscape of rural America continues to change dramatically. In 1900, more than two-thirds of the nation's population lived in rural areas. In 2000, less than one-quarter were rural residents.

Rural America's economy and lifestyle has changed from traditional family farmers and small town centers to large corporate agriculture and strip malls. Six out of 10 rural places are looking for new economic engines to help them survive.

Economic opportunities in rural communities are limited by lack of infrastructure, distance from markets and isolation from financial centers. RCAC works with communities to address these very real and significant issues, coupling the resources and assets in the community with external expertise and financing.

RCAC's 15 Western States