Latest Research
Data and research are at the heart of the Rural Center’s work. We believe that from our most remote places to the highest level of state government, unbiased data is critical for building sustainable communities and sound public policy.
Issue-Specific Factsheets
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Rural North Carolina At a Glance
Change in NC Employment During COVID-19
Written by: Jason Gray, Senior Fellow for Research and PolicyMaps created by: Alfred Garshong, Data Systems Manager 2020 has been a year of profound stress, pain, and loss for North Carolina and the entire nation. In January, the word “COVID-19” was unknown to...
Small Business Dynamism in North Carolina
A new joint report from the NC Rural Center and Thread Capital shows that a decade after the Great Recession, North Carolina's small businesses are still struggling to recover and catch up with their urban counterparts in the state. The report, Small Business Dynamism...
Press Release: Economic Impact of Closing NC’s Health Insurance Coverage Gap
Closing the state's coverage gap would mean better health and more jobs for North Carolinians The NC Rural Center has launched a new county-level database that lets users explore who would benefit from closing the health insurance coverage gap, and the possible...
Taxable Wage Data Tells Mixed Story for Rural NC Economies
The growth or decline of jobs, often benchmarked by the unemployment rate, is the default measurement of economic wellbeing. However, income from jobs is another excellent way to assess economic change. The source of this data is the Quarterly Census of Employment and...
Research: Employment Growth, A Challenge for Many Rural Counties
by Jason Gray, Senior Fellow, Research & Policy What's the Data? This month's data visualization compares the one-year change in employment for all 100 North Carolina counties from May 2016 to May 2017. Counties are sorted into three categories of rural, urban,...
The Big Crunch: Data for Advocacy
by Jason Gray, Senior Fellow, Research & Policy Being a strong advocate requires that we have a focused but flexible message that works well with different audiences. How do you make the case for an issue for someone who grew up in your community? How would you...
The Great Recession and the Great Divergence
by Jason Gray, Senior Fellow for Research & Policy and Alfred Garshong, Research/GIS Associate Have you noticed that the word "rural" shows up in the news more these days? Hmmmmm, wonder why. Here in North Carolina, a major reason is the great divergence in...