Poll: Many Rural Americans Struggle With Financial Insecurity, Access To Health Care

Polling by NPR finds that while rural Americans are mostly satisfied with life, there is a strong undercurrent of financial insecurity that can create very serious problems for many people living in rural communities.

The findings come from two surveys NPR has done with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on day-to-day life and health in rural America.

After a major poll we did last fall found that a majority (55%) of rural Americans rate their local economy as only fair or poor, we undertook a second survey early this year to find out more about economic insecurity and health. The poll looked beyond the known factors of job loss and the decades-long flight of young people to more urban areas.

Several findings stand out: A substantial number (40%) of rural Americans struggle with routine medical bills, food