The newly released NC Rural Center Rural Road Trip report highlights what Rural Center staff uncovered about rural issues during our recent 15-stop statewide tour and an accompanying poll. We found that:
- Across geography, political affiliation, and gender, the most critical issues at the top of your minds are childcare, affordable housing, and the education of our future workforce
- Disparities exist in infrastructure, health, and economic opportunities, and local champions are working diligently to overcome these challenges
- Our rural citizens are resilient, committed to their communities and regions, and care deeply about the future of their families and fellow citizens
The NC Rural Center traveled the state in fall 2024 to hear from rural North Carolinians about issues affecting their communities and regions. Our goal was simple: to listen to citizens’ insights and bring your voices back to Raleigh to share with elected officials and other policymakers.
We also conducted an online Rural Issues Poll with over 850 participants to help focus the conversations at each step of the Road Tour. The results of that poll are in the Road Trip report.
We centered these conversations on five categories:
- Physical Infrastructure: Affordable housing, road and bridge conditions, public transportation, access to high-speed broadband, and water and/or wastewater systems
- Education/Training: quality of public K-12 schools, adequate funding for public K-12 schools, opportunities for postsecondary education (i.e. trade school, community colleges, 4-year institutions), sustainability (i.e. interest, funding) of local postsecondary education options, availability of mentorship and/or apprenticeship programs.
- Healthcare: opioid/drug abuse, access to healthy food, adequate elder healthcare, number of healthcare providers in the community, quality of local healthcare providers and/or facilities.
- Small Business: access to financial resources (i.e. loans, investments), availability of a qualified workforce, high cost of doing business (i.e. rent, utilities, gas), sufficient local customer base, and business taxes.
- Social and Civic Infrastructure: civic engagement, crime, population change (growth or loss), effective local leadership, local cultural amenities (cultural opportunities, outdoor recreation, parks, community space), and access to childcare and elder day care.
During small group discussions with over 150 residents, local leaders, and other stakeholders, we identified common threads of concern across the state including scarce affordable housing stock, health care provider shortages, dwindling childcare options, rural infrastructure investment disparities, and unmet workforce needs and pipeline projections.
We were also privileged to hear about programs that had earned community support. Participants enthusiastically shared stories about locally driven initiatives to expose the next generation of workers to career opportunities. They also told stories about the deep generational roots that keep them anchored at home in rural towns.
We thank each of the 1,000 people who made this first road tour a success by participating in the Rural Issues Poll or attending a stop on the Road Tour.
