Facts & Figures: COVID-19 in Rural America

Half of rural adults (53%) say the pandemic has impacted their mental health at least some, while 44% say it has not been impacted much or at all.

Three in five rural adults (61%) say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted mental health in rural communities a lot or some.

Younger rural adults are more likely than older rural adults to say the pandemic has impacted their mental health a lot. Younger rural adults also are more likely than older rural adults to say stress and mental health have become more of a problem in their community and personally in the past year.

And younger rural adults are more likely than older rural adults to be very confident they would be able to spot the warning signs of a mental health condition in an immediate family member or close friend.

After the pandemic started, U.S. unemployment surged to levels not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In March 2020, the unemployment rate began to rise.

Although unemployment rates in March 2021 varied substantially across counties in the U.S., the highest unemployment rates were generally evident in parts of the Northeast region.

Unemployment rates were markedly higher Appalachia and in the northern Midwest region, the lower Mississippi Delta and parts of the South Atlantic division the South region, Texas, much of the Mountain region, and most of the Pacific region.

In nonmetro counties, the highest unemployment rate occurred in mining-dependent counties (6.5 percent).